Homemade Applesauce

It's funny how we often think things we don't know how to do must somehow be difficult. That's what I thought about making applesauce. My mother never made it and I don't know anyone else who did, so I assumed it must be some complex, all-day affair. But I had the day off today (thank you Veterans) and I had some apples in "cold storage" (aka the basement) that needed to be used up, so I decided to give it a try.


I started by reading some recipes. And what I discovered almost instantly was that, if you're not canning applesauce, it's one of the easiest things in the world to make! Since it seemed so easy, I decided to forgo an official recipe and give it a whirl on my own. The results are yummy - so I'm sharing.


Homemade Unsweetened Applesauce
Makes about 2 cups


Ingredients:
5 small apples (I used 3 Cortlands and 2 McIntosh)
1/2 cup water
1 Tbsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract


Directions:

Peel and core apples. Chop roughly (no need to get fancy here). Put in saucepan. Pour water over apples. Stir in cinnamon and vanilla.


Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat and cook 10-15 minutes until apples turn to mush when mixed.


If you like your applesauce chunky, that's all there is to it. If you prefer a smoother applesauce, you can puree it in a blender or food processor to the desired consistency.


So much for my all-day recipe... but I guess that means I have time to go make something else now!