Day 265–Crock Pot Applesauce

I’m not sure who invented the crock pot, but I love them. I mean, I enjoy getting in the kitchen and cooking, but there is something magic about putting ingredients in a crock pot in the morning and coming home from work to find something wonderful…and finished! And while I find stirring risotto to be soothing, standing around cooking apples doesn’t have the same appeal to me. Not sure why, but there it is.

So I am loving this crock pot applesauce recipe that came with my Produce Box this week. I’m not a huge fan of cold applesauce, but I do love it warm. And mix it in with some steel cut oatmeal and I feel like I’m wearing a warm, fuzzy Snuggy all morning long. Except people aren’t rolling their eyes at me. I think it would be great with the Maple Oatmeal Bread from Sugar Dish Me also (note to self: stop dreaming about this bread and make it already).

You can alter the sugar and spices (I added clove to mine) to suit your taste. This recipe makes about 8 cups of sauce–enough to eat now and freeze some for another day!

Crock Pot Applesauce

• 4 pounds of apples, cored and sliced thin
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. ground cloves
• 1/4 cup lemon juice

1. Put sliced apples (I leave the skins on–more fiber is never bad, right?) in a large bowl.
2. Sprinkle lemon juice over the apples.
3. Mix sugar and spices together in a small bowl and sprinkle over apples. Using a spoon or your very clean hands, toss the apples and the spiced sugar together until coated well.
4. Put all in your crock pot. Cook on low for 6 hours or high for 3 hours.
5. Mash with a potato masher for chunky sauce or use an immersion blender (careful–sauce is hot!) to blend all together.
6. Store in refrigerator for up to 5 days or freeze in freezer bags to enjoy up to 1 year later.

Posted by Deanna on September 24, 2012

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