Nothing Says Fall Like Homemade Applesauce
I love fall! The crisp air, back-to-school, amazing show of Aspens, and Broncos’ football – it’s all good. I remember my mother and her near-religious devotion to making homemade applesauce every fall. I remember coming into the house after school and the rich, sweet aroma of warm apples and cinnamon welcomed me and I rushed to change into my “play clothes” (does anyone even do that anymore) so that I could have a warm bowl of sweet goodness before I did my homework.
Don’t get me wrong, I love the tradition, but I work full-time at Elite Storage units in Lafayette, CO. I don’t have the time to devote a day to peeling, coring, slicing, and canning, but I still want to have the result. Store-bought applesauce just doesn’t even cut it at all.
One day, a few years back, I ran across a recipe that used, get this – a Crockpot to make the applesauce. Challenge accepted. I decided to give it a shot and have the apples cook overnight. It was amazing.
Crock Pot Cinnamon Applesauce (from The Magical Slow Cooker)
- 4 Pounds of apples (a pound of apples is roughly 2 large, 3 medium, or 4 small)
- 2-3 Cinnamon sticks (depending on your taste)
- 2 tsp. Cinnamon powder
- 1 Cup of apple juice or water (apple juice really makes this dish pop)
- Sugar to taste (not necessary)
- Wash apples thoroughly. Peel and slice them. I peel them with a potato peeler and slice them with an apple cutter and cut in half. Place them in a 6-8 quart Crockpot or slow cooker.
- Add liquid of choice, cinnamon sticks, and ground cinnamon.
- Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours or high for 8-10 hours.
- Remove and discard cinnamon sticks and mash, blend, or puree the mixture to desired consistency.
- Taste and if desired, add sugar by the spoonful.
- Let cool and refrigerate or freeze. Keeps in freezer for three months and in the fridge for 1-2 weeks.
This makes great baby food, topping for desserts, and can be used as a substitute for oil in cake mixes.
If you have favorite fall recipes to share, please come share them with me. While you’re here, make sure to ask why we’re considered to have the best self storage in Lafayette, CO.
