Wicked Witch's Homemade Applesauce

Once, when my oldest was about 2 1/2, she came into the kitchen and asked for an apple. Pleased she wanted such a wholesome treat, I gave her one - even though it was bedtime. She took one bite and slumped to the floor dramatically. Then, she looked up at me out of the corner of her eye and in a theatric whisper said, "It was poisoned!" Apparently, I was playing the role of the wicked witch! Thus began our family's obsession with drama - and with all things apple. After all, if it's in a fairy tale...!

Today, I'll share with you our easy recipe for homemade applesauce. In fact, this recipe is so easy, it's almost not a recipe. I made these to go with our pancakes today but they're just as good by themselves. Just a note - apples tend to cook down quite a bit since they have so much water in them - so you can add more if you're cooking for a crowd. This is the kind of recipe that you can adjust without messing it up too much!

Applesauce

Ingredients

5-6 good sized apples - I like to mix sweet and sour apples like Gala, Honeycrisp or Fuji with Granny Smith

1 c. water

juice of 1/2 lemon - optional if you're not canning your sauce - but it does balance out the flavors

1/2 c sweetener to taste - like honey or brown sugar

Instructions

1. Core and chop apples to desired size. We like chunky applesauce and we don't remove the peels. More fiber! If you like smoother applesauce, core and quarter your apples and then pulse them in the food processor. Remember they'll get squishier as they cook so they don't have to be perfect.

2. Toss apples in pan with the water and lemon juice and set to medium-high heat.

3. Once the ingredients start warming up nicely, turn heat down to medium. 

4. Keep an eye on your apples and stir regularly while they're cooking or they will burn.

5. After they get close to your desired texture, remove a bite of apple from the pan, cool and taste it. 

6. If you want to add sweetener, do so now - only 1/4 c. at a time.  

7. Let apples mix with the sweetener and taste again. Chances are you won't need much sugar since they're so sweet on their own.                                                  

Tada - Homemade applesauce!