Applesauce Is Easy

I was almost ready to go to the store to pick up a few groceries, but it looks like it might rain soon. I also realized the one crucial thing I needed (to make the oatmeal cookies) was applesauce. Oh yeah... I have a giant bag of apples, and applesauce is probably not that hard to make. In the same time it would have taken me to walk to a store and back, I was able to make it from scratch. Basically, if you can peel an apple and boil water, you can make applesauce. In under 30 minutes. I looked at my Good Housekeeping Illustrated Cookbook (from college food science class) for the basis of this recipe. I added lemon juice to cut the tartness of the Macintosh apples, and used brown sugar instead of white - and much less of it.

APPLESAUCE
30 minutes total, approx. 3 Cups of sauce.
2lbs Apples, peeled, cored, chopped (about 6 small/medium)
1/2 C water
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 Tbsp dark brown sugar (or more to taste)

Peel apples and take care to remove all parts of the core. Roughly chop into a medium saucepan. Add water, lemon juice, cloves and cinnamon. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Stir from time to time.

The recipe said to boil 8-10 minutes, or 12-15 for smooth consistency. I found that I must have lazily cut large non-uniform chunks of apple, so I ended up cooking it for 20 minutes. I also threw it in the blender for a quick whip, since I like my sauce super smooth.

2lbs of Apples

Just throw it in the pot and let it simmer.