Easy Homemade Applesauce

Smooth or chunky, applesauce is one guilt-free dessert you can eat to your heart’s content. The rate at which my younger children power through my homemade applesauce, I can barely keep up. They eat it straight up even from the pot, freeze it and eat, use it on french toast, use it in smoothies, have I said eat it straight up?

Homemade applesauce is worlds apart from store-bought and is also ideal for older babies starting on solids, minus the added sugar. When babies have diarrhoea, because of the high pectin in applesauce, it helps firm up the stool.

I made this easy applesauce to use as a part of my french toast post but we started feasting on it and I totally forgot to include it. It is so easy and simple to make, the only ‘hard work’ is the peeling of the apples, which is totally optional but make sure you remove the core of the apples.

When choosing apples for applesauce, choose a soft, sweet and aromatic species. It is best if you can mix different types of apples for a more complex flavour, even sweet and tart. If they are not soft, just cut into smaller pieces and cook longer, this will give you a chunkier applesauce. If they are not so sweet, add more sugar or honey. To make the best applesauce, your tongue is your best guide, taste, taste and adjust.

To make Easy Applesauce

500g apples (about 2 large)
3 tablespoons apple juice or water
2 teaspoons natural lemon juice
1 1/2 tablespoons light brown/white sugar

Some optional ingredients:
cinnamon
ground cloves
ground nutmeg
allspice
maple syrup
butter

Peel and core apples, cut into chunks and place in a pot.

Add apple juice and lemon juice.

Cover and place over medium-high heat and bring to a boil.

Reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes until the apples are soft.

Add sugar and stir until sugar melts.

Stir in whatever spice you are using.

If the sauce is too watery, take the pot cover off and crank up the heat to boil off excess fluid.

Leave to cool a bit before blending so it doesn’t spray everywhere.

Puree in a food processor, hand mill or blender for smooth Applesauce or use fork, whisk or potato masher to mash the apple pieces for a chunky Applesauce.

Cool and store in the refrigerator.

Serve your Applesauce with ice-cream, pancakes, waffles, french toast, in smoothies, with grilled pork etc. It can replace oil/fat in muffins. I haven’t tried it yet but I definitely will and report back.