Apple recipes are overwhelming the food blogosphere right now and I thought I’d throw another one your way. Making apple sauce is perhaps my favorite way of cooking apples. Though I do also love making cider and apple butter. What is your favorite way of cooking apples?

The first time I made apple sauce was a few years ago, and I was pleasantly surprised how easy the process was. Ever since that first time I wait the arrival of apple season to make apple sauce, cider and apple butter. Apples, to me and maybe you, represent autumn. Maybe it is because the range of apple colors mimic the changing leaf colors. I don’t know. As a fruit apples are not my favorite or even in the top five. Sorry apples. But since I strive to use mostly seasonal ingredients, apples do make their way on to our plates and bellies.

My apple sauce recipe today is a bit chunkier than I normally make apple sauce. I was just in a mood for chunkier apple sauce with little bits of apples. But if you are like my husband and prepare a smoother texture, simply mash the apples further. For this variation I used Gala apples but you could really use your favorite apple variety, or a combination. Be aware that a tart apple may require more sugar, or sweetener of choice, than sweeter varieties. I always sample the apples before cooking to see if the sugar will need to be adjusted.

4.9 from 9 reviews

Homemade Spiced Apple Sauce

 

Print

Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

20 mins

Total time

30 mins

 

Fast and easy homemade apple sauce, spiced with cardamom and ginger. Plus you can top it with nuts for a crunchy bite.

Author: Spicie Foodie & Nancy Lopez-McHugh

Recipe type: sauce, dessert, snack, fruit, vegan

Cuisine: American

Serves: 2-3

Ingredients

• 4 Gala apples (620g or 1.36 lb weight it prior to peeling and coring) peeled, cored and evenly chopped
• 1 whole cinnamon stick
• 1/ 4 cup or 40 g brown sugar, more if desired*
• small pinch of salt
• ¼ tsp ground cardamom
• small pinch ground ginger
• ½ tsp fresh squeezed lemon juice
• small piece of lemon peel
• ¾ cup or 200 ml water

To serve, optional toppings

• spiced pecans
• dap of greek yogurt
• raisins

Instructions

1. Place the apple pieces and all remaining ingredients in a pot. Cover and allow to come to a boil over medium heat. Uncover to allow most of the liquid to evaporate and the apples to break down. After 10 minutes use a potato masher to further break down the apples to desired consistency. Continue to simmer until nearly all of the liquid has evaporated.
2. Remove the cinnamon stick or leave if desired. Allow to cool before storing, or serving. Can also be enjoyed warm as a sweet autumn treat.

Notes

*Taste, or test, apples for sweetness and adjust to taste. Additionally the brown sugar may be replaced by sweetener of choice, such as honey or maple syrup.

WordPress Recipe Plugin by EasyRecipe

3.1.07

As I watched the apples simmer in the pot I envisioned a crunchy topping. Luckily I still have some of the spiced pecans Mike, of Amelia’s Spicing Pecans, shipped me. I used the cinnamon spiced pecans and they were the perfect topping. Each spoonful of apple sauce was soft and crunchy with a sweet explosion of cinnamon-really just perfect. I ate the apple sauce for dessert and as a snack just like when I lived in the states.

These photos will actually be in the eBook. I walk you through the whole process of how a recipe goes from my mind to the final photos. This section has information on visualize the food, color, mood and putting it all together. Additionally this section talks about shooting set up tips, a full styling walkthrough, shooting angles, and lastly basic editing tips. You can see in the photo below the before or straight out of the camera and the final photo after editing. The whole book really has so much information and I could have kept writing so perhaps there will be a part two. (Don’t quote me on that, we will see.)

More apple recipes on Spicie Foodie:
- Almond Butter Baked Apples
- Homemade Molasses Apple Butter, Cookies and Puree
- Maple Apple Cider
- Rye Apple Fiber Bread
- Zemlovka, Czecho-Slovakian Apple Cinnamon Bread Pudding
- Apple Honey Cake for My Honey and Life
- Apple Cinnamon Raisin Oatmeal

in American,Desserts-Sweets,Fruits,Vegan/Vegetarian