Recipe: Slow Cooker Applesauce with Secret Ingredient

Bonjour!

Happy October! Fall has officially arrived in Vermont, which means it’s time to make an annual batch of applesauce, mmm.

Today’s post shares how I simplify what can be a laborious (peeling, coring, chopping so many apples. So. Many. Apples.) and time-consuming (simmering the sauce for hours on the stove) process. My secret weapons? A slow cooker and a secret ingredient.

Full disclosure: I posted this recipe last year and want to re-share now that I live in Vermont, which inspired my secret ingredient and produces 40 million pounds of apples annually. Like my recipe for Chicken Power Salad, the ingredients are low FODMAP and *mostly* organic.

Les Ingrédients

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

• 3-4 lbs. apples (organic), cut into 1-in. cubes (I will use a mix of apples, such as Honeycrisp, Gala, 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 did 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 1 week or in freezer up to 3 months.

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. Last year’s batch of 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 an Oktoberfest party and another to freeze for a later meal.

What are you cooking and baking this fall?

Merci for reading and please subscribe and share!

À votre santé,

Katie