Two Applesauce Variations

My family and I are leaving for the Bahamas for Christmas (I still can't believe it!) and I had a box of apples that I knew wouldn't keep until we got home.  So, I decided to break out the apple-peeler-corer-slicer and make some homemade applesauce!  If you like to cook with apples and don't have one of these tools you've gotta get one!  I literally peeled, cored and sliced 24 apples in less than 10 minutes.  You can find one here.

worth its weight in gold!

Little Brother, my helper today in the kitchen ♥

I made two variations of my basic applesauce recipe which you will  find below.  The kids and I ate some warm right out of the pot, and the rest went into freezer bags for later. 

 You'll need:

4 lbs. apples, peeled, cored and sliced (about 12 apples)
1 c. water
1-2 cinnamon sticks (if desired)
1/2-1 c. sugar (brown sugar is nice, too!)

Prepare apples being sure to remove any seed bits that your corer might have missed.  Combine with all other ingredients in a large saucepan and bring to a boil.  Cover, reduce heat to simmer for about 30 min. till apples are tender.  The thinner your slices the faster it will cook.  Remove from heat and using a hand blender, blend until you reach your desired texture, being sure to remove any cinnamon sticks first.  If you don't have a hand blender, you can press the pulp through a sieve or food mill.  I've even used a potato masher which produces a nice, chunky sauce.

Enjoy warm, pop in the fridge, freeze or pack into sterilized jars and process in a boiling-water canner for 15 mins. for pint-sized jars.  You'll get about 3 pints of sauce.

VARIATIONS

Browned Butter and Cinnamon:
tastes like apple pie!
In a small saucepan heat 1 stick of butter (1/2 cup) over low heat until melted.  Continue cooking until it turns a golden brown.  Add to apples along with the sugar and cinnamon sticks (you could probably use ground cinnamon as well.)

Maple:
perfect for pancakes!
Prepare as in basic recipe, substituting real maple syrup for the sugar.