I’ve made applesauce each fall for years…with the exception of last year.  I didn’t have the time or a good deal on apples so I skipped that last year.  Therefore a post was skipped on it…not to mention my home skipped on the yummy scent of apples cooking on the stove!  I recently got a note from a reader on Facebook asking if I had a recipe for applesauce.  Boy, do I ever!  I love it! It’s easy peasy! I think you’ll like it, too! 

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Applesauce

8 pounds of apples peeled, cored, and quartered — about 24 cups (I’ve used all kinds, but my favorites Macintosh and Jonathan.)
2 cups water
1 to 1 1/2 cups sugar
sprinkles of cinnamon (to your liking, if you like at all)

In a 10 quart pot combine apples, water, and cinnamon (if you like).  Simmer, covered, for 15-20 minutes.  Make sure you stir it often so it doesn’t scorch on the bottom.  Now, you have a few options.  If you like it thin you can run it through a food mill or in a food processor.  We like our applesauce chunky so I take about half out and run it through my Norpro Sauce Master and the other half I’ll use a potato masher to chunk up the apples in the pot.  (By the way…I peel and core the apples before starting.  Some people run the whole apple through the sauce master but I think the peel and core give it a bitter taste.)  Then I put the sauced apples back in the pot.  Stir in sugar.  If you find it’s too thick and needs a bit more water you can add some more…about 1/2 cup.  Bring to a boil then you are ready to can!  (This recipe will make about 6 pints.)

To can it:
Sterilize 6 pint jars, lids and bands.  (You can either run the jars through the dishwasher and take them out as soon as the sterilize setting is done or boil them for 10 minutes.  I do the latter.) 

Funnel hot applesauce in the jars, leaving 1/2 inch head space (where the threads stop at the bottom of the lip).  Wipe rim and threads of jar to make sure it’s free of sauce and then put on lids and bands.  (I dry my lids and bands real quick with a clean towel before putting them on my jars so they don’t rust.)  Make sure the bands are tight, but don’t get all Superman on them and crank it on…you don’t want it that tight!  Process in boiling water for 15 minutes. (Make sure the water starts boiling after you put the jars in before you start the timer. And make sure that the water is covering the jars at least an inch.)

Well now I am all excited to go apple picking this month!  And I can’t wait to make some yummy applesauce!

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We really like to use our homemade applesauce to make Cherry Cinnamon Applesauce as a side dish with fall and holiday dishes!  Yummy!