NO FUSS CROCK POT APPLESAUCE

We've talked about this before - I was definitely spoiled by my mother growing up. Never did we ever eat store-bought applesauce. Oh no. My mom always made homemade applesauce. I won't even eat brands like Mott's because it doesn’t hold a candle to the richly flavored, silky, tangy homemade version.

Now some people may be wondering - is homemade applesauce really worth the effort? And my answer to you is - THERE IS NO EFFORT! All you have to do is a little teeny bit of prep work consisting of peeling the skin off the apples and chopping the flesh off the core. And that's it! The crock pot does all the work.

Also, what's great about the homemade version is that you know exactly what goes in it. No artificial flavorings or colorings - just apples. And you don't even need to add any sugar. I typically add ground cinnamon to the applesauce and you can even add pumpkin pie spice or red hots.

So impress your family and friends tonight with this No Fuss Crock Pot Applesauce. It's the perfect side or snack especially this time of the year as the temperatures are cooling down and you just want to snuggle up with something warm.

NO FUSS CROCK POT APPLESAUCE

Yield: 5 cups

Calories: 128 calories per cup

Printable Recipe

INGREDIENTS

• 1 (3 pound) bag of McIntosh apples*
• Optional cinnamon, cinnamon sticks, pumpkin pie spice, red hots, etc.

DIRECTIONS

1. Remove the skin from your apples
2. Either use an apple corer or just a knife to cut the flesh of the apple off the core
3. Stick the chunks of apple in the crock pot
4. Let cook in the crock pot on low for three hours
5. When you check on your apples in 3 hours, the apples will be completely broken down and will actually look like applesauce at this point. All you need to do is stir it. No need to blend it using a hand mixer or food processor. All you need to do is stir! 
6. Add your optional cinnamon and spices to the applesauce, stir, and serve

*NOTE: McIntosh apples are the best apples for applesauce because like stated above they will completely break down on their own and you don't need to blend them or anything. However, cooking is all about using the resources you have available, so if you have other types of apples you can certainly use those as well. BUT you'll have help the process of breaking them down by blending them with a hand mixer or other device after the three hours is up.

The applesauce literally comes out of the crock pot looking like this.

100% apples in this applesauce, just the way it should be.