Crockpot applesauce

What was your favorite Christmas present this year? I bet it wasn’t as cool as mine- I got a crockpot. Yeah that’s right, a crockpot. My friends sometimes call me Grandma, but it’s ok, because crockpots are seriously the best. Throw some food together, come back hours later and you have a meal? Magic.

So, the crockpot enthusiast in me got a little too excited when apples went on sale at the local produce stand. I had a perfect excuse to make homemade applesauce! 

Those little cups of applesauce were one of my staple childhood snacks (like most kids of the 90s), but I never really liked them. Something about the texture really freaked me out and it tasted fairly bland. 

Then, when I was 13, my eyes were opened to just how delicious applesauce could be. I had just gotten my wisdom teeth removed and a friend of mine (Kathy Yang, shoutout to you if you're reading this) made a delivery to me in my drugged-up state so I could enjoy some liquid food. It was amazing. 

Even though it sounds fancy making applesauce from scratch, it turns out making applesauce is one of the simplest things I've ever made. As long as you have a little patience and a good soundtrack to listen to, you'll be all set. I feel bad even listing it as a recipe, because you really just throw all the ingredients in the crockpot and walk away… but here it is.

What you’ll need:

• 4 lbs. apples (~10 apples, enough to fill your crockpot, enough to make a little apple pyramid… however you like to measure 'em is fine)
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice (fresh is always better)
• 1-2 teaspoons cinnamon, depending on how cinnamon-y you like it
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 ¼ cups water

What you need to do:

1. Peel and slice all of the apples… this takes a while. Bring out your speakers and get some good jams going (Frozen soundtrack anyone? I was able to listen to the whole thing through once). When you’re done, dump them in the crockpot.

2. Stir together the water, cinnamon, lemon juice, vanilla, and salt. Pour it over the apples.

3. Go do something fun for 6-8 hours while the apples cook on low. When you come back, stir the apples with a wooden spoon. All done! Enjoy this homemade, delicious treat.

(4). If you want a smoother finished product, you can blend the applesauce after its done cooking. I personally like the bits of apple you get when you just stir it up instead.

Note #1: Don’t have a crockpot? What are you doing with your life, go get one. Kidding, you can just bring all the ingredients to a boil in a pot then let it simmer for half an hour. That'll work too. You also are probably a more sane, less Grandma-y person than me, so props to you. 

Note #2: I used a mix of Pink Lady, Gala, and Fuji apples and it was delicious, but feel free to use whatever apples you like. Some may be more tart and some sweeter, it’s just personal preference.

This applesauce ended up tasting pretty similar to apple pie filling. Aka delicious. I might use some of it in a baking experiment... but that's only if I don't eat it all first. 

This is me, eating everything in reach