Recipe: Slow Cooker Applesauce with Secret Ingredient

“I took your idea and I made it better.” – Leslie Knope, Parks and Recreation

Bonjour!

For a recent Oktoberfest shindig with Ma Famille, I decided to experiment with a new applesauce recipe. I’ve made applesauce in a Dutch oven on the stove, but never before in the slow cooker, and never before with a special secret ingredient: maple syrup.

Like my recipe for Chicken Power Salad, the ingredients are low FODMAP and mostly organic. Read on to discover my special addition délicieux!

Les Ingrédients

• 3-4 lbs. apples (organic), cut into 1-in. cubes (I used a mix of Honeycrisp and Fuji)
• Juice of 1/2 lemon (organic)
• 3-4 cinnamon sticks
• 1/3 c. pure maple syrup (organic) (the secret ingredient!)

La Recette

• Line 4- or 5-quart slow cooker with disposable liner. Place cubed apples in slow cooker.
• Pour maple syrup and lemon juice over apples. Stir to combine.
• Disperse cinnamon sticks throughout slow cooker, covering with apple mixture.
• Cook applesauce on High for 5-7 hours (depends on your slow cooker; I went for 6).
• Every 2 hours, stir applesauce and press with slotted spoon or potato masher to help apples break down.
• At conclusion of cooking, let applesauce set in slow cooker for at least 1 hour to thicken. Remove liner from slow cooker and let applesauce cool completely. Remove cinnamon sticks.
• Place cooled sauce into airtight containers. Store in fridge for up to 4 days or in freezer up to 1 month.

Tasting Notes

• Slow Cooker Liners. Are one of my favorite kitchen tools. They make cleaning up très easy and do not affect how dishes cook.
• Maple Syrup. I love maple syrup and enjoy finding new ways to incorporate it into my recipes. The syrup add some Vermont flair to the recipe and balances out the tart apples and lemon juice without making the final product overly sweet.
• Organic Ingredients. I recently started incorporating organic ingredients, or les ingrédients biologiques, in my low-FODMAP diet, as well as that of Le Chien. I like knowing my food has fewer pesticides and additives in it and on it.
• Final Product. My applesauce was a little watery at the end of cooking, so I left it to set for an hour in the slow cooker after I turned off the machine. It thickened up nicely and I separated it into two containers, one to take to the Oktoberfest party and another to freeze for a later meal.

What do you like to cook or bake in the fall?

Merci for reading and please subscribe and share!

Amitiés,

Katie