Have you ever had one of those weeks where you just can’t seem to get your act together? Really? Awesome. That makes me feel better. I think that it was the one day of rain that we had this week that has made me want to sit on the couch reading magazines and watching Lifetime movies all day. Except that we don’t get Lifetime. We don’t even have cable. Maybe just magazines. And my Kindle. I digress.
What I do want to do is share something life changing with you. You ready? Apple sauce is really easy to make. And, wait for it…. it is a thousand times better than the stuff that they put in jars! No offense to Motts. Seriously. Homemade apple sauce is so good and so easy and just plain wholesome. It makes me feel all Laura Ingalls Wilder.
There are a few things that I think make my apple sauce better than the jarred variety.
1. I use a variety of apples. Organic ones.
2. I add some vanilla bean paste at the end.
3. I leave some texture in it.
I don’t think that my dad reads my blog, but if he does Happy Birthday! If you see him around town, wish him a Happy Birthday from me.
about 5 pounds of peeled apples (I used organic Golden Delicious, Honey Crisp, Granny Smith and whatever else was in my fridge)
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste
2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
In a large pot, add the apples, water, sugar, salt, and cinnamon.
Let the apples cook over medium to low heat until the apples are soft. About 20 minutes.
Add the vanilla bean paste and the lemon juice.
You can either put the apples in a food mill, food processor, or use my weapon of choice. A potato masher. I like my apple sauce to have some chunks. It is a personal preference.
Looks pretty wholesome doesn’t it? Give it a taste. You can add more sugar if you like a sweeter sauce. I like a medium sweet sauce, but I like a lot of lemon and cinnamon. It is your sauce, make it exactly like you like it.
I made this apple sauce to accompany a roast pork. It was perfect with it. I sent my friend Corey home with a jar and she and her kiddos ate it for breakfast the next morning slathered on some Van’s Belgian Waffles. Sounds pretty tasty, no?
Now that I have shared how easy making your own applesauce is, I am headed back to my couch and the new Martha Stewart Living. Who am I kidding? My bed calls.
Ingredients
- about 5 pounds of peeled apples (I used organic Golden Delicious, Honey Crisp, Granny Smith and whatever else was in my fridge)
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste
- 2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- In a large pot, add the apples, water, sugar, salt, and cinnamon.
- Let the apples cook over medium to low heat until the apples are soft. About 20 minutes.
- Add the vanilla bean paste and the lemon juice.
- You can either put the apples in a food mill, food processor, or use my weapon of choice. A potato masher. I like my apple sauce to have some chunks. It is a personal preference.
- Looks pretty wholesome doesn’t it? Give it a taste. You can add more sugar if you like a sweeter sauce. I like a medium sweet sauce, but I like a lot of lemon and cinnamon. It is your sauce, make it exactly like you like it.
I am Bree. I love to cook. Even more than I love to take pictures.
Bree, great minds think alike! I also did applesauce this week, and you and I have nearly the same advice (chunky, use variety of apples, add vanilla, etc.). BUT…have you tried Boiled Cider in it? Sublime! Here’s the post so you can see what I am talking about http://www.shockinglydelicious.com/shockinglydelicious-saturday-cooking-class-rustic-chunky-applesauce/
Yours looks yummy!
We wrote almost the same post! I’ll have to get my hands on some boiled cider. Looks good.
This sounds fantastic! My apple-adoring son will love it.
Bree, do you have a recipe for delicious hot cocoa–either the kind you drink asap or one you can store in your pantry indefinitely? I’m so over not-delicious Swiss Miss.
I don’t, but keep reading, I will add one for you.
Vanilla bean paste!? What a fabulous idea! This sounds like such a perfect fall food to make on a rainy day…we’d probably put it on top of vanilla ice cream…mmm.
The Blue-Eyed Bakers recently posted..Pumpkin Cupcakes with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting
It is a lot like apple pie without the crust and would be perfect on ice cream. Wish that I had some right about now.
The vanilla bean paste is a nice addition. I don’t usually bother peeling apples for sauce since I run the apples through a blender first. Using some red apples brings a pleasing pinkish huew to the cooked sauce. http://carfreeinannarbor.blogspot.com/2010/09/applesauce-in-vitamix.html
Astrid@http://carfreeinannarbor.blogspot.com/ recently posted..Day 21 – Thinking About this Past Week
it does make a pretty pink hue. I peel the apples because I leave it chunky, otherwise, I wouldn’t bother.
I love homemade applesauce with cinnamon. That vanilla bean paste sounds like a great addition. I only wish I had some to add to my applesauce too.
Lisa recently posted..Peach Jam Spirals
it really adds something, but regular vanilla extract will be great too.
Love this- classic, simple. I make something very similar each year around this time.
simple is always the best.
I just made this for my roommates! Everyone loves it!
happiness!
[...] So from the apples my boyfriend and I picked I used 10 of them to make homemade applesauce. You don’t need 10 of a specific kind, just 10 apples. I had seen a recipe earlier in the season for a more “home-style” apple sauce but I changed it a tiny bit but she gets all the credit. So here is the recipe, from Baked Bree. [...]
YUM! Homemade, warm applesauce is one of my Fall snacks!
[...] I really do not like to fry anything in my house, but this is the one exception that I happily make. I think that latkes taste best as soon as they are finished cooking, but it is not always the easiest way to have them. So I make them ahead of time, lay them out in a single layer with paper towels and reheat them in a 350 degree oven until they are heated through. I serve them with sour cream and my homemade apple sauce. [...]
[...] the apple orchard in the coming months. I cannot wait to swirl a little of this sauce into some apple sauce, or drizzled over a slice of apple pie. I have made this sauce many times, and always give the [...]
[...] Sauce October 20, 2010 By bakedbree 18 Comments If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for [...]
[...] Editor’s Notes: Image credits, in order of appearance: Stay Healthy, Pinterest Women, Coach Robb, Incredible Egg, Smarter Fitter, Food and Whine, Now and Then, Simply Recipes, Baked Bree, [...]
[...] I really do not like to fry anything in my house, but this is the one exception that I happily make. I think that latkes taste best as soon as they are finished cooking, but it is not always the easiest way to have them. So I make them ahead of time, lay them out in a single layer with paper towels and reheat them in a 350 degree oven until they are heated through. I serve them with sour cream and my homemade apple sauce. [...]