Crock Pot Applesauce

While on vacation this past week, we stopped at Bartlett’s Orchard outside of Pittsfield, MA.  Sadly, apple picking season was over (boo), but they still had goods for sale!  My friend Bailey (who grew up in Pittsfield) said  Bartlett’s was a "must" because of their apple cider donuts…and OMG…they were amazing. Being from the south, I’d never had a cider donut before moving up here – it’s something the south needs to adopt ASAP!  A-mazing.  We also bought some apples from their store so I could make applesauce when we got home.

I decided that Monday night was the perfect time to whip it up, since we’d need something sweet to take the bad taste out of our mouths from the debate...har-har-har.  Here’s a super simple (but delicious) recipe you make in the crock pot!  I used a mixture of Jonagold, Northern Spy, and Gala apples.  It’s fun to experiment with lots of different varieties.

Crock Pot Applesauce

10-12 apples

¼ cup water

½ cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon lemon juice

Start by peeling, coring and slicing your apples.  There are a number of tools to help make this easier, but my favorite is by far is a combo tool that does all three of those at once – a peeler, corer,slicer.  I found this one at a store a few years ago for $6 and it’s been one of my favorite gadgets ever since!

Mix apples, water, brown sugar, cinnamon, and lemon juice to your crock pot and cook on high for 3-4 hours, stirring periodically.  Note that the amount of sugar you use will depend on what apples you use (sweeter apples, less sugar!), and your individual taste.  Taste after cooking for a few hours and then decide if you want to add anything else.

After 3.5 hours I turned off the crock pot and fired up my handheld mixer to finish the sauce.  That way, you control the chunky/sauce ratio.  Travis is a fan of “super-fine” applesauce, so that’s what we did this time!.

Here's the finished product - so yummy.  Enjoy it warm shortly after you remove from the crock pot or refrigerate overnight and eat it cool!