How to Make the Best Slow-Cooker Homemade Applesauce
Before we proceed, I’ll warn you, homemade applesauce is simply amazing, “the best.” It’s hard to go back to anything else once the last jar in the freezer is consumed. Even if you’re not an applesauce fan, I beg you in the name of the goodness of fall, to try making a batch of homemade applesauce. I promise, you won’t regret it!
Peel the apples and chop into small-medium equal size pieces. Place all the apples in a large bowl or the base of your slow-cooker with the heat turned off.
Squeeze the lemon juice from the two lemons over the top of the apples. Toss the apples in the lemon juice.
Sprinkle the cinnamon and honey over the top of the apples, along with the water. Turn the slow-cooker on high and let the apples cook for 3 hours. You'll need to come back in an hour and a half to stir and mash the apples. Note: If you don’t like cinnamon you can leave it out or reduce the amount called for in this recipe.
After an hour and half of cooking, stir the apples with a wooden spoon and then mash the apples with a potato masher. This will take about 2 minutes. The apples will still be chunky and a bit hard. Return the lid to the slow-cooker and allow the apples to finish cooking for an hour and a half.
Now it's time to make the applesauce. After three hours of cooking your apples are ready to meet their final destiny! Puree the apples with an immersion blender. Blend the apples until you reach the desired consistency. For me, this means a super smooth store-like applesauce.
Notes
Note: I peeled and chopped the apples by hand this year because I couldn’t find my apple peeler, but if you have one (like this) I highly recommend using it!