"Lower Sugar" Slow Cooker Applesauce

 

The early harvest Michigan apples have arrived!  I picked up a bag of Paula Reds today and decided to try to make some homemade apple sauce in the slow cooker.  I browsed through lots of recipes and for the most part, they are very similar.  Mine uses less sugar than a lot of the recipes, and I used brown sugar, rather than white sugar which gives it a little bit of a richer taste.

The hardest part of this recipe is peeling the apples...so if you can do that (which you can), then you can make this applesauce!!!

"Lower Sugar" Slow Cooker Applesauce

3 lbs. apples (about 8 medium sized apples), I used Paula Reds, use your faves or a few different ones
1/4 water
a heaping 1/4 cup brown sugar (not packed)
cinnamon

Peel, core and chop apples into chunks.  Place into slow cooker and add the water, brown sugar, and sprinkle in some cinnamon.  (not too much...you can always add more when you serve it!).  Mix it all up, place the lid on the slow cooker and turn onto low for 6 hours.

Mash the apples with a potato masher.  This will leave tiny bits of chunky apple.  If you like no chunks at all, then use an immersion blender.  I just mashed with the masher.  They should mash very easily.  If they don't, then cook longer.

My son has already given me two thumbs up for this recipe, and he is the applesauce expert in my house!  We are eating it hot right out of the slow cooker!  It is fabulous!!!

I would definitely make this again!