Name: Homemade Applesauce
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 ½ pounds Gala apples (or any other variety of sweet red apple, about 4 medium); 1 ½ pounds Granny Smith apples (or Golden Delicious, about 4 medium); ⅓ cup water; 2 tablespoons maple syrup or honey, more to taste; 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon; 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar or 1 tablespoon lemon juice

Ingredients

4 serv.

1 ½ pounds Gala apples (or any other variety of sweet red apple, about 4 medium)
1 ½ pounds Granny Smith apples (or Golden Delicious, about 4 medium)
⅓ cup water
2 tablespoons maple syrup or honey, more to taste
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar or 1 tablespoon lemon juice

Instructions

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1 Peel, core and chop the apples into 2″ chunks. In a medium Dutch oven or large stainless steel saucepan, combine the apple chunks, water, maple syrup and cinnamon. Cover and bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat. Continue simmering, stirring occasionally, until the apples are tender and falling apart, about 15 to 20 minutes.
2 Remove the pot from the heat. For chunky applesauce, use a potato masher or the back of a sturdy spatula or wooden spoon to break it up to your desired consistency. For smooth applesauce, blend it in your food processor.
3 Stir in the vinegar. Adjust to taste as necessary—for sweeter applesauce, stir in more maple syrup (I usually add 2 tablespoons); for more spice, add more cinnamon; for more complexity, add another teaspoon of vinegar.
4 Serve warm or chilled; let it cool to room temperature before covering leftover applesauce and storing it in the fridge. Leftover applesauce will keep well in the refrigerator for about 1 week, or for months in the freezer.