Fill your kitchen with the intoxicating aroma of warm spices, when you make this Homemade Spiced Applesauce made from fresh-baked apples, warm spices, and brown sugar. A perfect touch of Fall.

Applesauce.

I can’t believe Labor Day is one week away, and here in Kentucky, we’ve had beautiful Fall-like weather the past couple of days.  I’ve had all of my windows open and I am chomping at the bit, waiting for Fall to actually arrive and the leaves to start turning.

When I think about Fall, I think of pumpkins, apples and warm spices, and yesterday my mind was gearing towards baking something with apples.  Something with apples and warm spices. Something I could eat for breakfast or dessert.  It didn’t take long for me to decide on homemade chunky applesauce spiced with warm spices.  It would be something simple.  I could make it on the stove top, in a crock pot or bake it in the oven.  Since I was going to be home all day, and it was nice and cool, I decided to use my oven.

The Best Apples to Use

I decided to use apples that were great for baking, so I sent my husband, Don, to get me some tart Granny Smith apples and some sweet Gala apples.  Any baking apple will work such as Braeburn, Rome Beauty, Honeycrisp, Winesap, etc.  You just wanna make sure you have a balance of tart and sweet.

The warm spice ingredients

  • 1/2 stick real butter, unsalted
  • 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon allspice

Instructions

  1. Place butter, sugar, cinnamon and allspice in a small saucepan.
  2. Heat over medium heat until butter has melted and mix to combine. Remove from heat and set aside.

The Apples

  • 3 pounds Granny Smith apples
  • 3 pounds sweet baking apples such as McIntosh, Gala

Prepping & Cooking the apples

  1. Peel and core apples. Cut into wedges about 1/2 inch wide and cut wedges in half to form chunks.
  2. Place apples in a dutch oven or (non-reactive pan). Add the sugar mixture and toss to coat all of the apples.
  3. Place lid on dutch oven. Bake for approximately 1 1/2 hours or until apples are tender.
  4. Using a potato masher, mash about one half of the apples and leave the rest in chunks, or you can mash all of them if you prefer. I like some chunks in mine.

Pro tip for this recipe

  • When making applesauce, make sure to use a non reactive pan.  Why?  I’ll explain.  Apples are acidic. Acidic foods react with reactive pans, such as copper and aluminum.  If you cook apples in one of these pans, especially if you are simmering them for a while, the result will be a mild metallic taste in the apples. Ceramic, glass, stainless or any metal with an enamel coating is safe and non reactive cookware for cooking acidic foods.
Spiced Applesauce.

Love apples? Check out these apple recipes…Country Apple Pie, Rustic Apple Galette, Fresh Apple Cake, Apple Cinnamon Bread, & Apple Fritters.

Chunky Applesauce.

Happy Prelude to Fall…

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Homemade Spiced Applesauce

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  • Author: Cindy Gibbs @ My Country Table
  • Prep Time: 30
  • Cook Time: 90
  • Total Time: 120
  • Yield: 2 quarts 1x
  • Category: Desserts/Sides
  • Method: Cook
  • Cuisine: American

Description

Fill your kitchen with the intoxicating aroma of warm spices, when you make this Homemade Spiced Applesauce made from fresh-baked apples, warm spices, and brown sugar. A perfect touch of Fall.


Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 3 pounds Granny Smith apples
  • 3 pounds sweet baking apples such as McIntosh, Gala
  • 1/2 stick real butter, unsalted
  • 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon allspice


Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Place butter, sugar, cinnamon and allspice in a small saucepan. Heat over medium heat until butter has melted and mix to combine. Remove from heat and set aside.
  3. Peel and core apples. Cut into wedges about 1/2 inch wide and cut wedges in half to form chunks.
  4. Place apples in a dutch oven or (non-reactive pan). Add the sugar mixture and toss to coat all of the apples.
  5. Place lid on dutch oven. Bake for approximately 1 1/2 hours or until apples are tender.
  6. Using a potato masher, mash about one half of the apples and leave the rest in chunks, or you can mash all of them if you prefer.
  7. Serve warm with your favorite biscuits or latkes.
  8. Refrigerate or use within five days.

Stove Top Variation

  • Simmer over medium low heat for approximately 25 minutes until apples are very tender, stirring occasionally.

Crock Pot Variation

  • Add 1/2 cup water and cook on low heat for 7-8 hours until very tender.

Notes

  • *Yield approximately 2 quarts.
  • Applesauce can be frozen for up to six months.