Homemade Applesauce-No Sugar Added

I love the harvesting season-so many amazing foods ripe for the picking! But what happens when those delicious apples are now a bit over-ripe? Or how about the ones that have bad spots? The answer is simple. Grab your slow cooker and make some delicious organic applesauce! Don't worry it's pretty much fool-proof (I should know...I've done it twice now!) and it invites the Autumn season with an amazing, cozy, spicy aroma.

What you'll need:

Large slow cooker

Sharp knife or apple slicer

Overly ripe apples (about half a small fruit box)

1/2 cup water

3-4 drops essential oils/spices of choice (I prefer Cassia EO)

*NOTE: I don't have an apple slicer-they never work right for me and I honestly love hand slicing food. There's just something so therapeutic about it.

To start, slice the apples, cutting away the bad spots. Some apples will be better than others, and that's ok. Salvage what you can and toss/compost the rest. I do NOT peel mine; the peels tend to blend in fine and they add to the over all nutrition of the sauce. Fill the crock as full as you can with the lid still fitting easily.

Next place a few drops of Cassia or Cinnamon EO into the 1/2 cup of water and mix. Then pour over the crock of apples. If you don't want to use essential oils, pour the water first and the. Sprinkle the desired spices on top.

Close the lid and set on High for 6 hours or Low for 10 hours. You can stir occasionally, but it will be fine if you don't.

Now is the "hard" part. Once everything is ready to mash, you can hand mash, use an immulsion blender, or a hand mixer to blend right in the crock. If you desire to use a blender, try a food processor or a blender with a lid so the heat doesn't cause an explosion. A nutribullet type blender can be used once the apples are cool again or THIS will happen:

That's it! Place into jars or freezer bags and store in the fridge for a couple weeks or 6 months in the freezer! It tastes amazing and you can feel good feeding your kids a nutritious snack without added sugars. ❤️

Happy Saucing,