Pumpkin Spice Crockpot Applesauce

It has been a few minutes since I first posted the crockpot applesauce recipe. It's still a good one. In fact, it's one that I make at least twice every year right around this time. It's stupid easy and soooooo good.

And then Alexis went and made it better. She pumpkin-spiced applesauce, you guys.

The pumpkin spice is totally optional, but it definitely was a good variation of something we eat a lot this time of year. It's just as pretty as the original, but with a little extra oomph to it.

With or without the pumpkin spice, crockpot applesauce is all that.

Pumpkin Spice Crockpot Applesauce

8-10 large apples - cored, peeled, and cut into chunks
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 15-oz can pumpkin puree
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Honey, if desired

1. Throw the apples into a crockpot. A tip - when cooked down, the apples will take up about half as much space as they do when cut into chunks. I tend to fill my crockpot as much as possible while still getting the lid on it, knowing that I'll get half a crockpot of applesauce out of my efforts.

2. Add the water and lemon juice, and then stir gently. Then add the pumpkin puree and spices. Stir again.

3. Cover and cook on low 4-6 hours. (Time varies based on the type of apple. Softer apples cook faster, but you can't really overcook applesauce as far as I can tell.) (Let's just pretend I don't know that because I once left it in the crockpot for 9 hours.) (It was still fine, but I wouldn't recommend trying that yourself.) (I really like parenthesis. Can you tell?)

4. Stir thoroughly to break the apples up completely. You'll know it's done when stirring the apples turns them into applesauce without any effort.

5. Sweeten with honey, if necessary. (It depends on how sweet you like the applesauce and what kind of apples you use. I like to use a blend of 4-5 different kinds of apples and usually end up adding about 2 tablespoons of honey.) Stir, stir, stir.

6. Store in the fridge for up to a week or freeze the applesauce for months. It definitely holds well.