Apple Sauce

Homemade Apple Sauce is perfect for when you are craving a delicious and healthy sweet treat! When the kids come home from school begging for a snack, you can bet this easy recipe will fit the bill! With your leftover apples, try my Apple Nachos with Peanut Butter as another healthy, after school, or anytime snack!

Homemade Apple Sauce

Did you know that homemade Apple Sauce can supply up to 80% of your daily Vitamin C?  Not to mention that once you make your own homemade batch of apple sauce you can say goodbye to the grocery store! You may be worried about the peeling and coring of the apples, but don’t let that get in your way! Lucky for us, there are apple corers and peelers. Yes, I said appliances that can do that for you! Whew. With that out of the way, let’s get to choosing the perfect apples for you. Although I used Granny Smith apples for my recipe, you can choose a sweeter or tarter apple, based on your desired sweetness.

On a side note, texture can also be determined by the type of apple you choose. For instance, the Granny Smith apples I used created a chunkier, looser apple sauce, which we put through a blender to smooth it out a bit. A McIntosh (or any apple with less air) generally creates a creamy, smooth apple sauce.

How to Select The Best Apples

Once you choose what type of apple you want, how do you select the best?  As you pick up the apples, check for the firmness of the apple. If it is soft or indents easily, it may not be the best choice. Also, check for any bruising or decay, and leave those apples behind. Finally, take a big whiff of the apple. That being said, you don’t have to hold it directly up to your nose (unless you want to), and you should be able to smell a light aroma from the apple. If the scent is too strong or unpleasant, the apple is probably on its last leg, or stem, if you will:)

How to Make Apple Sauce

After you have peeled, cored, and quartered your apples, put them in a large pot. Add the apple cider vinegar, cinnamon, sugar, water, and salt to the pot of apples. Bring the pot to a boil and then lower the heat and cover the pot. Let the apples simmer for 20-25 minutes, just to make sure they are tender and cooked. After the apples are cooked, they are ready to be put in the food processor to be mashed.

Apple Sauce Variations

Let’s be honest, everyone’s tastes buds are just a little bit different.  If the apple sauce comes out tasting different than you expected, here are a few ways to tweak the recipe to your liking.

Too Thick? Adding more water will thin out the apple sauce.  You can also run it through a blender a few more times to thin it out.

Not Sweet Enough? The addition of more sugar will help sweeten this recipe.  I recommend 1 teaspoon at a time.

Too Sweet? Apple cider vinegar will cut through some of the sweetness.  You can also add some dried fruits or raisins to the recipe for a fun twist!

Other Uses for Apple Sauce

Did you know that it’s more than a healthy snack? Try it as a glaze for roasted meats. Or, substitute half a recipe’s margarine, butter, shortening, or oil with apple sauce to make it a healthier choice. How about replacing that sugar on your oatmeal with your homemade apple sauce? Better yet, use it in my Glazed Apple Cinnamon Bread recipe to wow all your friends and family!