Granted, this is not a “Halloween” recipe, but this is a perfect Fall recipe to use all those wonderful apples.

My family went on a little apple picking/wagon ride at one of our favorite orchards recently and let me tell you – ain’t nothing like picking your own apples. My sweet little doll had a blast and now wants to apple pick on a daily basis. This is why I tell my husband we need to have lots of apple trees So to keep track, I need to have  tart cherry trees, peach trees, and apple trees. They are beautiful in the spring and produce in the late Summer/Fall. We would save so much money (ha ha ha).

Michigan Ingredient (part 1): Variety of Michigan Apples!!

I like to use tart apples such as Granny Smith, Pink Lady, etc. They hold their same and the taste is just amazing. If you use a softer apple, such as Golden Delicious, keep in mind that the apple will not hold it’s shape as well.

Michigan Ingredients (part 2): Apple Cider, Cinnamon, and Meijer Brown Sugar

If you have an apple peeler and corer, please use it as it will make your job sooooo much easier. I have one, but it all depends on the size of the apple, and if the apple is on the “softer” side, etc.

Peel your apples.

Core the apples and chop. Seriously, this is the easiest recipe. It’s borderline embarrassing.

My family likes applesauce on the chunky side. So if you want your applesauce to be chunky, it is even easier as the chunks need to be larger as the apples will break down.

Look at how pretty. This is only half of the apples. I did not have a bowl big enough. I have a 5/6 quart slow cooker and it was filled to the top.

Sprinkle the apples heavily with cinnamon. If you are not a fan of cinnamon (which I don’t know anyone who is not a fan….), you do not have to have cinnamon to make this recipe. You can make it au naturel.

Give it a stir (take a fuzzy picture….). This was kind of hard to do in the slow cooker… but you can do it in the bowl if you want. I just didn’t have a bowl big enough…

Since it is quite a bit of apples, I decided to use 1 cup of apple cider.  Pour over the apples and cook on low for 6 hours.

If you cut the recipe in half, just cut the amount of liquid in half.  It all depends on how much liquid you want in your applesauce. It’s something that you can adjust to your own individual taste/preference as the apples (when they break down) will produce their own juice. AANNNNDDD of course, if you do not have apple cider, you can use water.

This is only have of the scraps of the apples. Why I took a picture, I don’t know… but it’s there. Let’s get real people!

Now I started this applesauce a little later in the day than I wanted; so I didn’t get to take a picture of taking the potato masher and mashing the apples in the slow cooker. It was about 9:30  in the evening and I was starting to get tired… yada yada yada.. 

When I add sugar, I usually sprinkle some in, give a little stir, and taste. Sometimes I add more, sometimes it’s just perfect. The amount of sweetness is a personal preference and a lot can depend on what apples you use.

Look at that. Chunky, homemade applesauce. So worth it.

When my daughter was a baby, I would make applesauce and puree it. I also didn’t add as much cinnamon. I eased her into my crazy world of cinnamon. This recipe makes quite a bit of apple sauce.

This applesauce is great to add to pancakes (inside the batter or even on top of the pancakes), oatmeal, warmed up and over ice cream, or just by itself.

Applesauce in Slow Cooker

 

Author:

Michigan from Scratch

Recipe type: Side dish

Serves: 3.5 qts

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A perfect applesauce that can be added to pancakes, oatmeal, or just by itself!

Ingredients

• 1 peck of Michigan Apples (20 large)
• 1 cup Apple Cider
• Cinnamon
• Brown Sugar

Instructions

1. Peel and core your apples.
2. Chop your apples into large chunks. This will help assure you to have chunky applesauce.
3. Place chopped apples into your slow cooker and sprinkle with cinnamon. Use as much or as little of cinnamon for your family's taste. Stir to evenly coat the apples.
4. Pour 1 cup of apple cider over the apples. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours.
5. When your applesauce is done, you can either mash your apples with a potato masher or puree it. Sprinkle with brown sugar to taste. Store in glass jars.

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