I have always wondered how homemade applesauce would compare to store-bought. Until now I have depended on those anemic jars of applesauce for doing low fat baking and then that jar would sit in my fridge until I had to let it go. Eating out of jars just is not much fun as making food yourself. Homemade applesauce is so easy to make, I can not believe I have been missing out on making my own for this long!
I had these beautiful apples in my crisper but life got busy, they were forgotten and got dried out and a bit beaten up. I was all ready to put them in the compost since I didn’t think they would do well being baked but then I got to thinking about making applesauce. I followed Michael Smith’s recipe as a guideline (he would be so proud!) and put into a pot six chopped apples, core-free but with skins on:
The skins will give it a pink hue and add nutritional value. I did not add any sugar at this point, just a little vanilla, half a tsp of cinnamon and a pinch of salt. I added enough water to cover the bottom of the pot but next time I am going to use apple juice. Why not boost that flavour? I put on the lid and cooked on medium low heat for 20 minutes, as suggested. Then the phone rang, as it always does when I am in the kitchen. I turned the heat off and let everything hang out together.
Yup, apple mush! Yum… I let everything cool down for a little while…
Then using the largest and least “fine” blade of my food mill I made a great applesauce with robust texture and zero skins. If you do not have a food mill, remember to peel your apples before cooking and then mash together. I checked the sauce for sweetness and added 1-2 tbsp of brown sugar. It was still warm so it all melted together.
I love how the colour it turned out, thanks to the cinnamon and the red apple peels. Even the flavour was rich and fabulous but still fresh and light. I really appreciated using food that was just going to go to waste to make something delicious with little effort or time. I enjoyed this so much it was my dessert after dinner for days.
Homemade applesauce kicks the jarred stuff out of my fridge forever!
this looks scrump-dilly-icious!
Everything the guy does is so darn easy. I seriously have to get that food mill. Great job Suzie.
Thanks Moroccan wife! It really is yummy.
Michael Smith is pretty darn amazing Wayne. I hope you get a food mill for Christmas! My Dad and his wife got me for Christmas last year and I love it!
Makes the store-bought stuff seem pretty blah, doesn’t it?
There really is nothing like homemade applesauce huh? This looks so comforting and delicious!
I disagree on removing the skins – there are a lot of vitamins in there.
I do agree there is nothing like home made! It is so much more flavourful than the store bought stuff, and is actually quite a bit cheaper too, which surprised me.
Here are some videos I did last year. We still have tonnes of it left after canning it up.
http://urbanhippy.ca/making/and/canning/applesauce
I think my method with the hand blender is easier than the food mill.
Incidentally, this makes great baby food. My 6 month old loves it.
I am definitely not eating the skins! I tried leaving them on a pie once and the texture was terrible. To each their own! You have a lot of patience to use your immersion blender like that, I have given up on using mine but that was a lot of apples! The food mill was very easy actually, much easier for me than the immersion blender which never gives the texture I like. Oh yes, homemade applesauce is perfect for babies, I’m sure!
Yeah, definitely not great to have skins in a pie, but the hand blender takes care of that. Took me only 5 minutes or so to blend mine and after that there was no sign of skins left. My 7 and 8 year olds are testament to that – no way they’d eat it if they detected skins in there 🙂
Thanks for the tutorial, another great way to use up the bruised apples my picky kids won’t eat. Here’s a Martha Stewart recipe I’ve meaning to try, I bet that yummy applesauce would be so perfect for these cookies.
http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/iced-oatmeal-applesauce-cookies
I’m pickier than the pickiest kid, unfortunately. It’s a curse. Still, glad it works for you and your kids bushidoka.
Ava, those cookies look amazing! Darn it, I’ve eaten all my applesauce already, guess I’m going to have to make more.
mmmm… I love home made applesauce. I make it every year after apple picking! I even sometimes just make one helping by cutting an apple with a pear and half cup of fruit juice mixed all in a blender!
My family has been making scratch applesauce for years. Agreed – it’s easy and so good!