Sugar-Free Crockpot Applesauce
If ever you've had the urge to make your house smell so good you started to consider eating the walls, I've got just the recipe for you.
Crockpot applesauce.
Applesauce is insanely easy to make. It's even more so when you just throw the apples in a crockpot and leave it all alone for a few hours.
This recipe isn't really what I'd call a recipe, but that's only because you're the boss, applesauce. Want it sweeter? Go ahead. Want it without cinnamon? That's fine. Want to use sweeter/tarter/cheaper apples? OK. It'll still turn out just fine.
To make up for this not really being a recipe, let me teach you a little trick I like to use. The first important fact is that you can freeze fresh applesauce. So, I use the small disposable Ziploc bowls and create my own portable applesauce cups. I pull one out of the freezer in the morning. It's thawed sufficiently by lunch time. If the container makes it back home, great. If not, that's fine as well.
For what it's worth, Alexis would like you to know that waiting for the applesauce to defrost is optional. She says frozen applesauce is AMAZING, especially when it's a little bit slushy.
Sugar-Free Crockpot Applesauce
8-10 large apples - cored, peeled, and cut into chunks
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon lemon juice
3 cinnamon sticks
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, lemon juice, and cinammon sticks.
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. Pull the cinnamon sticks out and throw them away.
7. Store in the fridge for up to a week or freeze the applesauce indefinitely.
Recipe
Reader Comments (1)
your pictures on this post are gorgeous.
i love applesauce. you make it sound like this is something that even i could do!