There are lots of foods that are cheaper and tastier to make than buy, and my favorite of them is homemade applesauce. It seems like it would be complicated, right? Wrong! It’s probably the easiest thing I make in my kitchen, and it makes the whole house smell amazing. I mix homemade applesauce into cereal for the baby, spoon it onto pancakes, or just eat it warm from the pan (well, my husband does!)

Homemade Applesauce

Ingredients

• 6-8 apples, peeled, cored and chopped (I like Mcintosh)
• cinnamon, to taste
• 1 cup water or apple cider

Recipe

1. Put all the ingredients into the pot.
2. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low.
3. Simmer for 20-30 minutes, or until apples are mushy.
4. Use fork, potato masher, or blender to make smooth.

You can make plenty of variations on this, adding lemon peel or brown sugar. I find the Mcintosh apples are sweet enough that I don’t need to add any sugar, but tart enough for a sour apple lover like me.

Your sauce consistency and sweetness will change with different varieties of apples, but this recipe makes it easy to add spices and sweeteners as you go. It’s also easy to add more liquid to make it smoother, or mash it with a fork to keep it chunky.

Because the apples you use all end up as mush anyway, you can save a lot of money by going for fruit that’s bruised or a little older. And I promise that once you’ve had homemade applesauce, you will never buy another jar again!

Do you make your own applesauce? Share your recipes in the comments below!