Confession time, my friends. This was not the post I planned for today. Nope, I had another apple dessert in mind. It looked delicious and had rave reviews. And it made me sick. Yup. It was so sweet that my teeth hurt. My tummy rebelled and gave it a big thumbs down.
I have one simple rule when it comes to recipes that I share: I have to like them. Now I know everybody has different tastes, so sugar fiends would have loved the recipe undoubtedly. But my blog, my taste preferences. It seems fair to me!
Of course, now I was in a pickle because I had nothing to post for today. Sometimes I manage to have some recipes in the queue for when these situations arise, but I wasn’t so lucky this time.
So what’s a girl to do?
Make applesauce. Now I know some applesauce can be pretty sweet. Okay, overly sweet in this savory girl’s opinion. But this one had significantly less sugar than I found in other recipes. Plus, I figure you can always add more sugar, but you cannot take it out!
I’m trying to eat healthier … again, but I still crave something a little sweet after dinner. Applesauce seemed like a good compromise. The little market behind my apartment had granny smith apples on sale, 3 lbs for 99 cents, so that sealed the deal for me.
I love that you make this in the crockpot. It’s so simple and tasty. I plan to make another batch since the apples are so cheap and freeze some for later. You can also can the applesauce but canning still makes me nervous. 🙂
Ingredients
- 8 medium apples, peeled and cored (I used granny smith. Use your favorite)
- 1 strip of lemon peel
- 1/2 Tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 Tablespoon cinnamon
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 2 Tablespoons sugar
Instructions
- Lightly coat a 4 quart crockpot with non-stick spray. Add roughly chopped apples.
- Stir in brown sugar, sugar, lemon peel, lemon juice and cinnamon.
- Cook on low for 5-6 hours or until soft, stirring periodically. Use an immersion blender, blender or potato masher to blend applesauce to your preferred consistency.
- Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks. You can also can or freeze applesauce too.
Notes
I used granny smith apples which tend to be quite tart. If the apples you choose are sweeter apples, you may want to cut back on the sugar initially. You can always add more at the end if it’s too tart for you.
The applesauce is also a bit darker than many commercial applesauces due to the cinnamon. If you prefer a lighter colored applesauce, replace the ground cinnamon with a cinnamon stick instead. Be sure to remove before blending or mashing your applesauce.
Adapted from Mommy Makes It Better
Enjoy!
Tanya
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