Homemade Applesauce
You'll never buy applesauce from the store again! This is super easy, yummy, affordable, and while you're making it..... you're home smells like absolute heaven! Its the most comforting, festive, inviting scent!
There are only three ingredients that you need, so lets make sure that you have them! Here's a shopping list:
There are a couple of key points you need to know before you make your applesauce:
Red Delicious apples shouldn't be the main apple in your applesauce. They get really mushy when cooked. I know, I know, "but
don't you want it mushy"? No. not all of them at least! Mushy is different than pureed. Weird, right?? I use a mix of Granny Smith and Red Delicious. I chose this mixture because I love a hint of the sour from Granny Smith and the structure they give to the applesauce and love the comfort of a simple Red Delicious. You're likely to see a lot of "stay away from Red Delicious apples for baking", however I super dooper disagree. They have a really simple timeless flavor and so I think they can be used to accentuate any apple dish. I have NEVER had an apple dish flop or not turn out because of a Red Delicious apple. I swear that Red Delicious are the secret ingredient to bomb dot com apple sauce. They are super affordable and can help stretch what ever you pick as your main apple.
It is OK for them to brown a little. Don't try to keep each little piece from browning. It doesn't harm the flavor and look at applesauce in a bottle, its darker than the original apple anyway.
Fresh lemons don't matter. You heard me. Any kind of lemon juice will work just fine. I have made a lot of homemade applesauce (never canned it until recently) and I have used lemon juice and then the juice from a fresh lemon and couldn't tell a difference. At. All.
LEAVE THE PEEL ON. It adds nutrients and softens as it cooks down. Once you have blended the cooked apples, you won't notice the peels at all.
If you want a sweeter applesauce, sweeten with honey! After you have blended the apples, taste the applesauce CAREFULLY! It will still be super hot. After I learned that the hard way I took a spoonful and set it in a little bowl to cool and taste. Add honey little by little, mixing well until you like the sweetness. I beg of you. BEG. Please don't sweeten with sugar. It messes with the texture. Stick to honey!
You don't have to process it. You can always just refrigerate it and eat it once its cooled. You still follow the recipe the same, just instead of processing it in a water/steam bath, let cool for a few hours on the counter (cool enough you can hold the jar with out it being too hot 6-8 hours is good) and then stick it in the fridge.
Now that you know all those important little tid-bits of information, you are ready to follow the recipe and make some AMAZING applesauce!
