Recipe: Naturally Sweet Slow Cooker Applesauce

This week is the final addition of my Fall Treats series, and after last week's debacle, I thought I would stick to something relatively fool-proof. So here we go!

 

This was seriously so simple. Here's what you'll need:

5 large organic apples
1 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp cloves
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup water

... that's it! You can add more/different spices if you prefer, but this recipe was just perfect for my taste. No sugar needed!

 Step one, core and dice your apples, and toss into your slow cooker.

 Measure out your spices and water, and sprinkle on top of the apples. Stir to combine.

Turn your slow cooker on high for 1 hour, then on low for 5 hours. This is by no means an exact science. In fact, I ended up forgetting my slow cooker was on high until it had already been 6 hours... I have a 6-month old, things get busy! No harm no foul because after a little stir with a fork, here's what I ended up with:

 

Wasn't that easy!? No peeling, no blending, no standing over the stove, and you end up with delicious, smooth, creamy applesauce! If you prefer a more consistent texture, an immersion blender can take care of those little chunks very easily. The rich dark color is a result of including the peels, which are the most nutrient rich part of the apples. 

Bonus, cooking this up made the house smell delicious and totally fall-y all day long. We even tried feeding some of this to the baby and it was a hit- totally baby approved! Applesauce is also a fantastic substitute for oil in baking recipes. I'll be using mine to make muffins this weekend!

I hope you enjoyed this super simple recipe! Thanks for checking in.

xo Allison