How to Make Homemade Applesauce

Homemade applesauce is so much better than store bought applesauce, and it's not that difficult to make. I prefer chunky applesauce, but you can definitely make this applesauce smooth by using a hand mixer when you are finished cooking the apples. It is a prefect dish to bring to a friends house as it can be made way ahead of time, reheated, and even frozen. I always make this applesauce for Thanksgiving, but I've been making it for other dinners lately as well. Our neighborhood recently had a hog roast and the applesauce was a perfect complement. In fact, I think pork or turkey are the best meats to serve with applesauce.

Here's a simple, easy, delicious, homemade applesauce recipe to impress all of your dinner guests!

This is a single serving recipe that makes 4 cups, but I usually double this recipe. You can also triple the recipe and freeze the applesauce in jam jars to use at a later time.

• 4 Medium tart apples (I use granny smith) peeled, cored, and sliced. I use an apple corer, peeler and slicer to make the process quicker. This is the most laborious part of the process if you don't have the corer, peeler, slicer. I use to peel all of the apples and cut them into quarters.
• 1 cup of water
• 1/3 cup of brown sugar (you can use less brown sugar if you want a more tart applesauce. I recommend using less to start and tasting your applesauce to see if you'd like to add more.)
• 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon of nutmeg. I use fresh nutmeg and shave it with a micropeeler. It does make a difference!
• 1 Tablespoon of butter
• Optional ingredients: 3/4 cups of walnuts, 1/2 cup of golden raisins, 1/3 cup of coconut

I prefer the applesauce without the optional ingredients, but a Thanksgiving dinner with homemade applesauce and walnuts is really good!

1. Put the peeled, cored, and sliced apples in a large stock pot and heat over medium heat until they are boiling. Stir occasionally.
2. Once boiling, reduce to a simmer and stir occasionally for 5 to 10 minutes. You want the apples to be soft and tender.
3. Add the other ingredients and stir until the applesauce is at the consistency that you prefer. Taste test to see if you need more brown sugar or spices. If you are using raisins, they should be plump.
4. Serve either warm or cold and sprinkle a bit of cinnamon on the top before serving.
5. Enjoy!

I prefer to serve this applesauce warm, it is so wonderful on a cold night with pork or other white meats. It also is delicious for breakfast with a popover or other pastry. If you are looking for homemade gifts for the holidays or for someone's birthday, putting homemade applesauce in a jar with a ribbon is a great gift. If you make the applesauce, let us know how it goes in the comments section of the Hub!