slow cooker applesauce
My grandchildren love Nana's homemade applesauce. Today I used remnants left in my garage from November's last picks at our wonderful local orchard. I freeze mine in freezer Ziploc bags but you can also can if you prefer. Either way, you will have delicious fresh applesauce whenever you like.
Blue Ribbon Recipe
This homemade applesauce recipe is delicious! It's so simple you'll find yourself forgetting about the jarred stuff and making it at home all the time. It's a great way to use apples that are about to go bad. The applesauce has a fabulous flavor of cinnamon with a hint of nutmeg. Your house will smell like fall while it's cooking. We never used a ricer to make a sauce like this and boy was it easy. Not having to peel the apples before cooking is a bonus. Stephanie suggests a certain type of apples but they weren't available in our region. We substituted with Granny Smith for tarter applesauce.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 - 2 quarts apples, your favorite, I used Gold Rush and Suncrisp (about 8 cups)
- 1 cup water
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon, ground
- 1/4 teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg
- 1/3 cup cane sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
How To Make slow cooker applesauce
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Step 1Wash apples and core them. Then cut into 2" chunks. -
Step 2Place apples in the slow cooker. Add water, cinnamon, nutmeg, and sugar. I like my applesauce on the sweet-tart side so if you prefer a sweet sauce, increase sugar to 3/4 cup.
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Step 3Place lid on the slow cooker and set on high. Cook for two hours.
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Step 4After two hours, remove the lid and stir the apples. Replace lid and cook additional two hours. After four hours apples will be soft and "saucy".
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Step 5Fill ricer 2/3 full and process into a bowl.
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Step 6Remove skins from ricer and repeat until all apples have been riced. A food mill can also be used for this step in place of a ricer. Remove skins from the mill after each batch of apples has been processed. If you prefer to use an electric food processor, you must peel the apples in step one.
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Step 7After all apples have been riced or processed, stir in vanilla, mixing well. Refrigerate overnight, then transfer to freezer containers or freezer bags and freeze. Applesauce will be good for six months once frozen. Enjoy!
- Last Step: Don't forget to share! Post a picture of your finished recipe here and on your favorite social network. Don't forget to tag Just A Pinch and include #justapinchrecipes!
