I know, I know,
applesauce is applesauce. But actually, I’m here with breaking
news that this (yes, this Slow Cooker Applesauce) is not just
applesauce. It’s the best applesauce ever. There, I said it.
Ever. Despite the over usage of this “best ever”
descriptor, you have to believe me on this one.
Every year we pick
loads of apples, lightly steam them, watch the magic of the food mill
turn them into applesauce and then water bath process them so
our food shelves look pretty with bottles of applesauce sitting
next to the peaches. And it’s great applesauce. Really, it
is.
But there must be
something magic in slow cooking the apples with a bit of cinnamon and
nutmeg to crazy tenderness and then blending until silky and smooth
because this crockpot version is, dare I say, decadent. Can
applesauce be decadent? I hereby declare it to be so, especially when
eaten warm. So, so yum.
I’ve made this
several times since my friend, Heather,
sent me the recipe, and I finally landed on the perfect mix-and-match
of apples. It’s sweet (with no added sugar — hooray!) and
still slightly tart while the cinnamon and nutmeg give that great
nutty warmth that makes me want to wear a snuggie and sit in front of
the fireplace while eating.
I’m sure this
could be bottled/canned, but for us, we’ve just been making it
to enjoy. It goes very, very quickly which is ok since it’s a
total breeze to throw together (I mean, hello, slow cooker)
and plus, the house smells all sorts of amazing while it cooks.
Homemade applesauce should totally become your thing this fall.
People are going to love you for it, mark my words.
Slow Cooker Applesauce Yield: Makes 6-8 cups
You could obviously
experiment with any type of apple here, but after making this several
times, the apples noted below are my favorite blend.
Ingredients
2 Honey Crisp apples
5 Golden Delicious apples
7 Gala apples
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (from about 1 large lemon)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Directions
Cut the apples into quarters and
slice out the pieces of core in each one. Leaving the peels on or
off is your choice. If leaving them on, be sure to wash the apples
very well (even if buying organic). I usually leave the peels on
about half of the apples and blend it for a minute or two longer
after cooking so it's ultra-smooth. If you want a chunkier
applesauce, I'd suggest peeling all the apples so you can leave the
sauce with texture and not get bits of peel all over.
In a large, oval slow cooker
(about 7- to 8-quarts), toss the apples with the lemon juice,
cinnamon and nutmeg. Cover and cook on low for 4 hours.
Blend with a handheld immersion
blender or by scooping the applesauce into a blender (may need to do
this in batches. Take care since hot foods expand in a blender, so
only fill it half full).
Serve warm, room temperature or
chilled. This will keep well-covered in the refrigerator for a week
or two and can be frozen for a couple of months.
Melanie Gunnell is a food-loving, chocolate-obsessed mom who has a desperate need to share
her favorite tried-and-true recipes with the world. In a past life she graduated from Brigham
Young University with a degree in public health, but for the past ten years, stay-at-home
motherhood has been her job along with blogging-from-home for the past five.
She resides in the brilliantly cold tundra of Northern Minnesota with her husband and their brood
of five children: four boys and one tiny, bossy girl. Dark chocolate (particularly the act of
shoving chocolate chips in her mouth whilst hiding in the pantry) is her coping skill of choice for
both the never-ending winters and the never-ending wrestling matches in her front room.