Crock Pot Cinnamon Applesauce

One of the things I miss most about the Midwest is the beautiful fall: the crisp weather, the leaves changing, the pumpkins and apples galore. Although I can't have most of that in Phoenix, I can still enjoy those fall food delicacies (and make my house smell delicious in the process!) 

When I was growing up, our next door neighbors had an apple tree that conveniently hung mostly over our yard, and my sister and I would have the responsibility of picking up all the (rotting) apples from the grass so my dad could mow the lawn. One year, before the apples started to rot and fall, my mom had a great idea of actually using the apples, and we made a whole bunch of delicious, chunky applesauce. Our kitchen was a full assembly line of workers, but the final product was so wonderful that I still think about it almost two decades later. I wanted to create something with the same sweet cinnamon flavor and chunky consistency, but slightly easier since I was the only helper, so this very easy, very tasty, crock pot applesauce recipe was born!

Peel, core, and chop about 10 medium sized apples. I recommend using a couple different varieties of apples for a more complex taste, I used granny smith and gala. I didn't use all of the apples in the photo, I used a 3-quart crock pot and 10 apples was almost its limit. If you have a larger crock pot, feel free to add lots more apples, you definitely won't be disappointed with having more applesauce!

Don't they look like pretty flowers?! I may have gotten overzealous with the corer here, you have to work pretty fast to get the apples peeled and chopped before they get brown, so work fast or get some helpers :) or you could always toss in a little lemon juice to slow down the browning.

Once the apples are chopped (this was about half), throw them into the crock pot with the brown sugar and spices. Stir to coat all of the apple pieces. 

I noticed there was room for a couple more apples once I had everything in there, so I added two more for a total of 10. Since the apples shrink quite a bit when cooking, you can fill the entire crock pot. Cook on low for 6-8 hours, stirring a couple times in the last half of cooking. And make sure to enjoy the amazing aroma! 

If you are not a fan of the chunky consistency, you can use an immersion blender to smooth it out. You can store the applesauce in the fridge for a couple weeks (if it lasts that long!), or divide it up and freeze portions to devour later.

Crock Pot Cinnamon Applesauce
Makes about 6 cups

10 medium apples, peeled, cored and chopped
3 Tablespoons brown sugar
1 Tablespoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon allspice

Mix everything in the crock pot. Cook on low for 6-8 hours, stirring occasionally.