Homemade Cinnamon Applesauce Recipe
Sweet and tangy, this easy cinnamon applesauce recipe is a staple here year-round. Made with 5 simple ingredients and taking only about 45 minutes from start to finish it’s easy to make big batches and freeze or can to have at the ready. It has long been one of my favorite apple season traditions!
My Families Orchard
Long before I entered the world, my great-grandparents owned an Apple Orchard about 20 minutes away from where I live now. It sat on a road named for my family and the farmhouse still stands today with cousins of mine still living there. I never got to see the orchard because there was no one able to take over for my great-grandfather when he was unable to carry it, but the apple crates live in many of our homes as well as other local orchards in the area. I grew up hearing the stories and appreciating apples in a way that I now realize is not normal, lol.
My Grandmother’s Applesauce
One of the staple foods from my childhood was my grandmother’s applesauce. She made huge batches of it and stored it for months so that we could enjoy it whenever we wanted. I ate bowls and bowls of it sitting at her dining room table. Strangely, when she passed, her recipe was nowhere to be found. As I got older I realized that I really missed her recipes, and I have since combed through many boxes of her recipes and well-loved cookbooks and I have not come across the beloved applesauce.
Years ago, I decided I needed to come up with a recipe that I could call my own. I started by making recipes from the internet and then combining aspects of the ones I liked. The recipe I have settled on is super easy to make and is requested yearly by my family.
My Own recipe
Once September hits, we make a trip to a local orchard where I purchase a bushel of “seconds.” These are the apples that aren’t as pretty as the ones they put out to sell but are just as tasty and perfect for sauces and pies. The bushel contains a variety of different apples, and I never actually know which ones they are. After testing a few, I gather the apples I want for the sauce. I like a good mix of tart and sweet so I do about half and half.
We have made our first batch of the season and everyone is enjoying it. Our favorite ways are hot with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top, in apple crisp, or cold from the refrigerator with a few potato chips dipped in it (It’s a delicious sweet/salty combo that I highly recommend and have converted dozens to try and love over the years-do it!)
Homemade Cinnamon Applesauce
Ingredients
- 21 small apples (about 5.5 Ibs) mixed variety, any combo will do
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup apple cider you can also use apple juice or water
- 1 juiced lemon (about 2 Tbsp)
- 1 tsp cinnamon or more to taste. Nutmeg would also be yummy!
Instructions
- Peel and chop apples into small wedges. The smaller the pieces are, the faster they will cook down,
- Place all ingredients on the stove in a large pot. It’s Ok if it is filled to the top- this will cook down by about half.
- Bring the liquids to a boil, then turn the heat down to medium-low and allow them to simmer for at least 30 minutes.
- Once the apples have become mushy and easily mashed, you can then choose your consistency. I like a smooth sauce, so I put about 2 cups at a time in a blender and blend until smooth. My husband likes it a little chunky, so I blend about 2/3 and mash the rest with a potato masher, and mix together.
I hope that one day I have little grandchildren sitting at my kitchen table eating my applesauce and asking for seconds.
Do you have family recipes that are a tradition in your home? I’d love to hear about them!