Scrumptious Sunday: Homemade Applesauce

Lately I've been into making homemade applesauce.  It tastes WAY better than anything you can buy in the store, and I like the consistency of MY applesauce better than the jarred stuff; it's thick and creamy, almost like pudding or yogurt.

So what do you do to make homemade applesauce?  Well, you take a whole bunch of apples and peel and core them.  (This part of the process is made much easier if you have a contraption that peels, cores, and slices all at the same time.  Like this one!)

(It's even easier if you have your husband do it.)

Once the apples are peeled, sliced, and cored ...

... make sure the majority of the rest of the peel and core are removed, then slice the apples in half for easier cooking.

Put them in a pot that is big enough to allow you to stir them frequently without having to worry about them spilling over the edge.  Add a small amount of unsweetened apple cider (about a cup or so), then start heating it over medium to medium-low heat.  It might take a while doing it this way, but you end up running less of a risk of burning the apples at the bottom.

Stir the mixture frequently, chopping up the apples with your spoon as you go.

Once the apples start to get really mushy, much like in the picture below, get out your immersion blender and start pureeing the apples into applesauce.

Mine is typically the consistency of a thinner pudding with very few chunks, but when you make it yourself your applesauce can be just to your liking.

After getting it to your desired consistency (chunkiness, thickness, etc.), cool it down either in its original pot or by pouring it into glass or ceramic bowls.  We chose the latter because it helps bring the temperature more quickly.

Once it has cooled to about room temperature, you can either put it into Ziploc freezer bags for freezing, or just cover it and store it in your fridge.  If I remember correctly, a bushel of apples made five gallon-sized freezer bags (not entirely filled)

We really enjoy homemade applesauce, much more than Mott's even, and it's awesome to be able to enjoy it all year round!  I hope you enjoy it as well!