[homemade] Applesauce

Making homemade applesauce is something that was on my bucket list this summer, because I remember my mom making me applesauce one time and LOVING it!! I used the recipe in the Fannie Farmer cookbook and it did not disappoint! Here is how I did it....

Start with 6 apples, I recommend using the ones that are a little older and starting to bruise. I mixed 4 green apples with 2 red and I couldn't tell at all. So, I think any combo of colored apples will work!

Peel all of the apples and slice them into 1 inch chunks. Once they are chopped put them in a medium sized pot.

I added 1 tablespoon of butter, 1 1/2 tablespoons of sugar, 4 tablespoon of water and 1/2 of a cinnamon stick. In the future, I would not add sugar because it really was so sweet and I would add much less water because there was so much liquid in my pot by the end of the cooking process that I had to drain some of it. I will continue to experiment with how much water would be ideal and update this post once I've figured it out.

Cook the apples on medium-high heat until the apples begin to soften - about 15-25 minutes. I left my pot on the stove top with the cover on and checked & stirred the apples every couple of minutes. Once the apples are soft enough, remove the pot from the heat (& take out the cinnamon stick) and mash the apples (I used a potato masher). At this point you can try the applesauce and decide if you want anything added to the applesauce (more cinnamon/sugar).

So, I just referred back to the Fannie Farmer recipe and remembered that the recipe also recommends adding some nutmeg and/or some cloves. I didn't do this because I didn't want too many spices in my applesauce, but these might make the applesauce taste a little more flavorful!

APPLESAUCE
ingredients
6 apples, peeled and chopped in 1'' slices
1 tablsepoon of butter
4 tablespoons of water (Although i recommend less!)
1 1/2 tablespoons of sugar (optional)
1/2 stick of cinnamon (optional)
2 cloves (optional)
a few gratings of nutmeg (optional)

directions
1. Peel and slice the apples into 1 inch chunks. Add them to a medium sized sauce pan.
2. Add water, butter, sugar and any other desired spices (cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg).
3. Cook the apples on medium heat until the apples are soft (15-25 minutes).
4. Remove the pieces of cinnamon and clove and mash the apples until they are blended.

Enjoy!
Kenzie