Freebie Friday - Homemade Apple Sauce

Applesauce is like most things, it is always better when it is homemade. And when making anything it always changes based on personal preference. Today we are going to share with you the basics of making Applesauce and a few additions or alternatives that can help you find the exact applesauce for you!

To start you want a bunch of apples, it doesn't matter what kind, we recommend soft apples that may be passed their prime. This is a great recipe for the fall or winter months when apple season is ending. You can also can applesauce so it will last longer.

We made a large batch of applesauce but you can always make smaller batches to your needs. So first you want to peel the apples, core them, and cut them up into small chunks (we did four cups about, you can do two cups to half the recipe). Once they were all chopped up and in the pot, we added 2 cups of water and 3 cups of white sugar (for two cups of apples you can add 1 cup of water and 1 1/2 cup of sugar).

Notes: This is going to make your standard applesauce, if you want it thicker you can use less water. You can also substitute sugar with brown sugar, honey, or even maple syrup.

You want to boil the apples on high for about 20 to 30 minutes, depending on how soft your apples originally were, how big you chunked them, and how much you are making. You want them to be like potatoes before mashing them. Once they are soft you can use a potato masher and mash them up. Again how much you mash them is up to you, if you like chunky that is fine, if you prefer smooth you may want to run the apples through a strainer or put them in a blender.

Now you have the basics of applesauce. Once it is at this stage you can add any spice you like, cinnamon would be great, but any spice that goes with apples (or in apple pie) would work great. You can also wait and add it individually if you are making this for a large group of people.