Homemade Applesauce

Homemade applesauce is so easy to make, 

so delicious and makes your house 

smell so awesome, you won't want to buy 

the jarred applesauce from the stores again.

I really don't use a recipe or measure out any exact ingredients, but I follow the same basic steps each time and it always turns out great.

Here's what you need:

• apples ( We like to use a variety of apples in each batch, just nothing too tart)
• water
• cinnamon (optional)
• sugar (also optional, we usually don't add much at all if our apples are sweet)

Here's what you do:

1.  Peel and core your apples.  (I usually do this step ~ peeling, cutting the apples in four large chunks, removing the core, then let the kids help with the following steps)

2.   Cut your apples into smaller pieces.  They don't have to be exactly the same size, but try to get them around 1" or smaller.  ( The kids can usually cut the apples just fine themselves using a butter knife )

3.  Put your apple pieces into a large pot.  Sprinkle with a bit of cinnamon if you'd like.  Add a little bit of sugar if you want.  ( I often just let each kid put in a teaspoon of sugar.  If the apples are sweet, you really don't even need it, but letting the kids add some sugar seems to make it taste sweeter to them ~ even if it's only a tablespoon for a big pot of sauce!)

4.  Add some water to the pot.  The amount depends on how many apples you use and how big your pot is.  Basically, you just want enough water so the bottom layer of apples are in liquid.  I used about 2 cups for my big pot.

5.  Start cooking your apples over medium heat.  If you do it covered, it cooks a bit faster, but if it's uncovered, the smell of the simmering apples makes your house smell awesome.  I usually put the lid on for part of the time and off for part of the time.

6.  Stir the simmering apples occasionally, adding a bit more water if it starts to get too thick.

7.  Soon, the apples will start breaking down and you'll have some sauce and some apple chunks.  "Softer" apples such as golden delicious and red delicious will usually turn to sauce more quickly.

8.  As the apples begin to soften, use a potato masher to break up the larger chunks.

9.  We like our applesauce just a little bit "chunky", so just the potato masher works fine.  If you want your sauce smoother, you can put it in the blender or food processor.  (I also have one of the immersion blenders that you just stick in the pot which is really easy)  Total cooking time depends a lot on the type of apples you used (some cook a lot faster than others), but it typically takes only about a half an hour or so before you have a yummy batch of delicious homemade applesauce.

That's it!  I let the applesauce cool, then put in individual containers in the fridge.  We usually eat all the applesauce within a week, but Google tells me I can freeze the applesauce, so I may be making some extra batches and keeping them in the freezer.

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