Cinnamon Applesauce

My boyfriend and I went apple picking at Stuart’s Farm in Westchester County, NY, and ever since I have been thinking of creative ways to use the bushels of apples we brought home. With almost 200 acres of trees, we were able to pick a variety of apples — Golden Delicious, Red Delicious, Empire, Mutsu, Jonagold, Ida Red, Northern Spy, Black twig, and Baldwins. There is no better way to enjoy hand-picked apples than with a homemade batch of applesauce. Although there are many variations of applesauce out there, I prefer a simple Cinnamon Applesauce recipe, with fresh lemon juice, apple cider, cinnamon and nutmeg. If you like your applesauce sweet, feel free to add a 1/4 cup of brown sugar, however, since the apples we picked were so sweet I really didn’t need to add any. The apples cook on your stovetop for about 25 minutes and fill the house with a warm smell of cinnamon and nutmeg. Use this applesauce as a snack, in baking (as a substitute for oil), or as a side dish with chicken or pork. Delicious!

Cinnamon Applesauce

Ingredients:
2 lbs. sweet assorted apples (such as honeycrisp, pink lady or fuji)
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
dash ground nutmeg
1/3 cup fresh apple cider

Directions:

• Peel and core the apples. Then, cut into 1 inch chunks.
• 
Combine the apple chunks, lemon juice, cinnamon, nutmeg and apple cider in a medium saucepan.
• Cover and cook the apple mixture over medium heat for about 25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the apples are soft. Use a potato masher (or the prongs of a fork) to mash the apples to further break them down. Stir, and cook two more minutes. Remove from the heat
• 
Serve warm from the pan or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week.