Cooking At Home: Homemade apple sauce - yummy for kids AND adults!

 

Let's get to it — I don't like apple sauce, never have, didn't think I ever would. And then, I made this. It seemed ages and ages ago when I made this often, but really it's only been about 9-10 years ago — back when my baby was actually a baby. This recipe has a good amount of lemon and orange zest in it which is probably why I like it.

This apple sauce isn't simply apples apple sauce, its got depth and warmth, is lightly spiced with cinnamon and brown sugar (not a lot! Just a little bit), and is not only apple flavored but also lemony and orangey.

Here we go.

THIS IS WHAT YOU'LL NEED:

6-8 Apples (your choice! This is the fun part!) Peeled, cored and cut into quarters. I go for apple varieties I like and that I think will mix well, which is usually green apples (for a bit of tartness) honey crisp, and whatever type of red apple is looking again. I like to set aside a few peels of the red apple to add into the baking step for color - this will be fished out later and totally not necessary, so don't do it if you don't want to.

2 Oranges, zested and juiced.

1 Lemon, zested and juiced.

3 Teaspoons of ground cinnamon

1/4 Cup of light brown sugar.

3 Tablespoons of butter, cubed

WHAT YOU NEED TO DO:

Preheat oven to 350.

Put all ingredients into a dutch oven and toss to combine.

Bake for 1 1/2 hours, or until apples are soft enough to whisk. 

When the apples are done baking, fish out the red peels (if you've used them). Whisk the baked apples until they are smooth — do this carefully, it is very hot when you take it out of the oven, and don't even think about using an emersion blender UNLESS IT'S BEEN COOLED.

And just like that, you've got amazing apple sauce.