It is certainly Fall in our part of the country! The leaves are starting to put on their beautiful autumnal colors and the morning temperatures are noticeably cooler. Fall around here also means one more thing – apple season! Having lived most of my life in the southern part of the state, I never realized until we moved here just how huge a crop apples are for north Georgia. At this time of the year there are more fresh apples around here than you could imagine. Loads of different varieties, too.
Last weekend, BeeBop and I took a short road trip to one of the many, many places in the north Georgia mountains where fresh apples are plentiful. As soon as we got back home I started making this delicious applesauce.
If you’ve never made homemade applesauce, you’re in for a real treat. Homemade applesauce beats the pants off the bottled stuff from the grocery store. It’s so easy to make and using your slow cooker almost guarantees that you absolutely will not scorch it.
There are at least a million recipes for applesauce and every cook has their own method. Some don’t add any spices at all – just apples. That’s really good, too. Especially for babies. But I like mine just a little spicy. Warm Fall spices make this applesauce perfect for this time of year.
For this recipe, you’ll need 6-8 apples. A mix of varieties always makes the best tasting applesauce. This time I used Jonagold and Winesap. They are fantastic together.
Wash, peel, and core the apples.
Then just toss them with the rest of the ingredients into the slow cooker. Set it on low heat and cook for six hours. Do stir the pot once or twice during the cooking time.
After six hours in the slow cooker, the apples will be soft but still retain a little texture. All you need to do is stir with a wooden spoon or a whisk to break everything up. If you prefer a very smooth texture, you can use an immersion blender directly in the slow cooker.
Enjoy!
Homemade applesauce couldn't be easier. Pop all the ingredients in the slow cooker and six hours later...applesauce!
Ingredients
- 6-8 apples
- 1 tblsp. butter
- 2 tblsp. brown sugar (I use Splenda brown sugar blend)
- 3-4 strips lemon peel
- juice of half a lemon
- 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp. cardamom
Instructions
- Wash, peel, and core the apples. Cut them into quarters or eighths. Place prepared apples and remaining ingredients in a slow cooker. Cook on low heat for 6 hours. Stir once or twice during cooking time.
- Remove the lemon peel if desired (I leave it in). Stir well. An immersion blender may be used if a smoother texture is desired.
Notes
A mix of apple varieties is preferable for best flavor.
Other applesauce recipes you might enjoy from around the internet:
- Homemade Raspberry Applesauce from Family Fresh Cooking
- Chunky Homemade Applesauce from A Farmgirl’s Dabbles
- Ina Garten’s Roasted Homemade Applesauce from The Food Network
- Crockpot Pear and Ginger Applesauce from Cookin’ Canuck
- Vanilla-Maple Applesauce from One Green Tomato
What I was up to…
- One year ago: Braised Cabbage
- Two years ago: Barbecued Green Beans
- Three years ago: Pot Roast with Rosemary and Garlic
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
This looks scrumptious. I am going to try this.
It’s good and sooo easy. You can also change the spices if you want to. I like the cardamom, but ginger is also good. Or a little bit of nutmeg.
I absolutely love this idea!! And I love the idea of a mix of apples! There are so many apples on the trees right now all around our house!
I have been wanting to try this method. Thanks for the inspiration. It looks delicious Lana!
I remember making applesauce with my dad, when I was maybe like eight or nine:-) With my busy schedule, love the idea of cooking it in a crock pot:-) Looks delicious, hugs, Terra
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