Homemade Applesauce

For some reason I had an abundance of apples (I'm talking 20 something apples). I usually do not buy that many apples but I had some, then honeycrisp apples were on sale for .99/pound which is super cheap!

So I thought about just eating a couple apples a day for several days but thought there must be something better to do with them.

Since we are eating healthy right now I knew a dessert wouldn't be the best idea. So I went with applesauce. I used Simply Apple juice to cook the apples, but apple cider would work great as well. I started with 1/4 cup of sugar because I didn't want to overdo it on the sugar and it was the perfect amount. Depending on the sweetness of your apples you can do more or less.

And a plus..besides tasting great this makes your house smell AMAZING!

Homemade Applesauce

12 apples, peeled, cored and roughly chopped

1 cup apple cider or juice

2 lemons, juiced

1 cinnamon stick

1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped out

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

1/4 cup sugar

Combine all ingredients in a large saucepan. Cook over medium heat for 1 hour stirring occasionally. As the apples cook they will break down. Remove the cinnamon stick before serving.

This would be excellent served warm over vanilla bean ice cream or just by itself!