It’s fall. The leaves have started dropping from the trees and the nights are significantly cooler. It’s refreshing (I can’t believe I just said that!) and it makes me crave the tastes of the season. Sugar-free, crockpot cinnamon applesauce is something I try to make every year. If you’ve never made applesauce you won’t believe how simple it is. If you have, this post is just a reminder that … it’s time.
Years ago I vowed to write down my favorite combinations of apples for sauce. Hmmm, I might not have every done that because every year I guess at what I might like best. I know I want the sauce to be sugar-free because why make it yourself if you’re just going to use the same inferior ingredients that a commercial canner would use. If I can choose my apples I can tweak the sauce sweeter or more tart depending on the variety.
Now, a few things about apples if you haven’t already heard this from your mama growing up. There are three categories of apples – baking, eating and crossover (or those apples that fit into both of the first two categories.) Of course, you can bake or eat any kind of apple but your results might not be great. If you choose a baking apple to eat, they tend to be very tart, and the texture might not be very nice. If you bake an eating apple, the texture of the apple when it’s done might be kind of weird. Choosing apples that fit their use is kinda important for a good result.
For this applesauce I chose my all-time favorite crossover apple, Macintosh, and an eating apple, Yellow Delicious. Both of these apples should be plentiful this time of year. (See, this is me writing down my favorites!) I’m SO happy with this combo. When I tasted it I had to remind myself that I didn’t ADD any sugar. It’s that sweet.
It’s also simple. Here are the basics …
Peel and core 12 apples. (Please choose organic apples as apples are always on the dirty dozen list.)
Put them into a crockpot and add about 2 Tbls. lemon juice, stirring to cover all the apples.
Put crockpot on high for 3-4 hours.
Stir well. If apples are soft and breaking apart, stir until nearly smooth.
If there are still small pieces that don’t squish when you smash them against the wall of the crock, cook for another hour. (Each crockpot is different.)
Add cinnamon to taste. I used about 2 tsp.
When soft, just stir for slightly chunky applesauce, blend with a stick blender or puree in a food processor for smooth applesauce.
Let cool and refrigerate.
Here’s a great idea too! Filling small mason jars with applesauce is a great way to avoid buying applesauce in those small plastic cups! As long as you don’t fill them too full they can be frozen too, or if you’re feeling really ambitious you can water bath can them while the applesauce is still hot.