Nov 28th, 2010
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Celebrating a Blogiversary with Slow Cooker Applesauce

Everyone says time flies when you’re having fun and it couldn’t be more true for me this past year. Starting this blog made the everyday ‘chore’ of cooking fun and challenged me to experiment with food combinations I might not have dreamed up without the pressure I put on myself to share creative slow cooker recipes with everyone on the interwebs.

Of course it’s been fun reading about the kitchen adventures other bloggers share, and especially those that I have been following for at least a year now. Also, knowing someone out there appreciates the recipes I share, means a lot to me and keeps this blog going, so keep the comments and suggestions coming!

Before I start getting sappy (since hormones are powerful during pregnancy), let me share a recipe for a slow cooker apple sauce we enjoyed to celebrate the first year of FreshSlowCooking.com.

You may wonder, why applesauce? Well, apples are in season and we have a tonne! I used a mixture of red and golden delicious for this sauce but feel free to use your favourite varieties.

If you’re wondering what to do with a slow cooker full of apple sauce, I’ll share my secret treat with you — since you’re awesome readers — it tastes just like warm apple pie and vanilla ice cream, without the crust. This tastes so good, I practically felt guilty eating it as a snack at work.

  • Add a drop or two of vanilla extract to 1-2 cups of plain yogurt.
  • Stir approximately a half cup of warm apple sauce into the yogurt and enjoy.
slowcookerapplesauce.jpg

Slow Cooker Applesauce

Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 4 hours (low) or 2 hours (high)
Yield: 8-10 servings (prepared in a 6.5 quart slowcooker)

  • 8 cored and quartered apples (about the size of a tennis ball)
  •  1⁄2 cup water
  • 3 tbsp brown sugar
  • 8 cm long cinnamon stick (or ½-1 tsp ground cinnamon)

Core and chop the apples and place them in the bottom of your slow cooker. (You can peel them too if you prefer, but leaving the skin on adds some nice colour and allows for a more chunky sauce.)

Place the apples in the bottom of your slow cooker insert. Add the remaining ingredients and try to submerge the cinnamon stick in the water.

Cook on high for 2 hours (or low for 4 hours).

Stir gently to break up the apples and create an applesauce with the desired consistency.