Simple Unsweetened Applesauce

There is something in the air during the autumn in New England. The days cool and crisp, the leaves are turning and apples are in season. You may have a friend or neighbor that happens to have an apple tree or two in their yard and they may be inundated with apples!! Even if you don’t have a friend who is giving away apples, they are quite easy to come by with the several local orchards, never one too far away. Even grocery stores tend to carry apples from local orchards.

Servings:

2-4

Prep Time:

10 min

Cooking Time:

20-30 min

Introduction

About this Recipe

By: Rebecca

The smell of cooking apples with cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, clove and ginger is one of my favorite smells. When I was cooking the applesauce, the kids came into the house from being outside and they all were saying “What are you making? It smells SO GOOD!” It is quintessential New England Fall smell.

I had a friend give me some apples from her tree. McIntosh, a New England staple. A great all around, versatile apple. I knew I wanted to make something with them but wasn’t sure. I would love to make a pie but I don’t really want to eat pie (trying to watch my sugar/carb intake). I decided to make the kids some applesauce. Even though they are teenagers now, they still love when I make them applesauce. I think it’s nostalgic for them AND me!

Ingredients

6-8 McIntosh apples (or whatever apple you choose, you can even mix varieties).
2-4 tbsp. Butter
¼ c. Water
1 tsp. Cinnamon
½ tsp. Allspice
½ tsp. Ginger
½ tsp. Clove
½ tsp. Nutmeg

Step by Step Instructions

Peel and cut apples into chunks. In a heavy bottomed pot, place all of the apples and rest of ingredients. Turn heat on medium low and stir occasionally, breaking up chunks of apple as you stir. You will need to keep checking fairly often to be sure that the apples are not sticking to the bottom as the water will evaporate. I like using McIntosh apples for this because they break down fairly easily. If you are using a harder apple, this will take a little more effort and take longer and depending how smooth you like your applesauce, you may feel the need to use a food mill or puree the mixture. It just happens I don’t care if it’s a little chunky! A potato masher also could help here too.

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