Why homemade?
After I told my coworker that I bought some applesauce, but was dismayed to find it was full of sugar and high fructose corn syrup, he gave me a jar of his homemade applesauce. It was delicious. I’d made applesauce before, but now with a toddler in the house and my penchant for baking treats with applesauce, I thought this fall would be a good time to make some more.
Why roasted?
It’s easy and tasty. I’ve made it on the stove, too, but roasting always brings out the best flavors. I am a roast-aholic.
I got 13 pounds of apples from a local orchard, but you can use as little as 3 pounds (10 apples).
To clean most fruits or veggies, I soak them in water with a big splash of vinegar for 5 minutes, then rinse them and rub them dry with a dish towel.
I made a station with a basket of clean apples, an apple corer/slicer, a big bowl for apple slices, and a bowl for discarded cores. I never bother peeling apples for baking because 1) I am lazy and 2) I’ve never noticed a difference in the taste. And bonus: the applesauce is a pretty pink color as a result.
Combine the apple slices with the following in a roasting pan, bake for 25-30 minutes at 400 F, then mash with a potato masher:
(Measurements per 3 lbs of apples)
– juice of 1 lemon
– 2 tablespoons melted butter or canola oil
– 6 tablespoons sweetener (sugar, agave, maple syrup, etc)
– 1 teaspoon cinnamon (or pumpkin pie spice)
– ¼ teaspoon salt
Puree the apple mush in the food processor until smooth. (If you peel your apples and like a chunkier applesauce, mashing alone will work.)
Aside from eating applesauce straight up or frozen (YUM), I love to substitute applesauce for oil in recipes sometimes to make them a bit healthier (and then I can add more chocolate chips to balance things out.) Do you know how? Substitute the applesauce for oil in a 1:1 ratio, minus a few teaspoons. Then add a few teaspoons of oil or butter to help maintain the right texture.
Roasted Applesauce
– 3 pounds of apples
– juice of 1 lemon
– 2 tablespoons melted butter or canola oil
– 6 tablespoons sweetener (sugar, agave, maple syrup, etc)
– 1 teaspoon cinnamon (or pumpkin pie spice)
– ¼ teaspoon salt
1. Preheat oven to 400F. Wash, core, and slice apples.
2. Combine other ingredients with apples in roasting pan. Cook for 25-30 minutes, turning once.
3. Mash and/or purée apples. Store in jars in freezer. (Or attempt to can but that part terrifies me!)
Good tutorial! I usually make applesauce on the stove top, but I’m going to try roasting the apples instead.
Also, I am glad I’m not the only person terrified of canning. I really want to give it a shot, but I’m afraid of poisoning my whole family…yikes.
Yum, thank you! I have some apples that need to be used up, so I’m going to make a test batch.
This looks so good, and I bet your house smelled amazing too!
I make applesauce all the time but I do it in the crock pot! So easy! I just do peeled apples, a bit of water and a few cinnamon sticks. Cook on low all day, mash and voila! Makes the house smell awesome too!
How long can it keep in the freezer? (I’m notorious for stashing things in the freezer and then forgetting about it… oops).
I’ll definitely be bookmarking this! I’m allergic to fresh apples, but my cousin wants to take me apple picking (I’ve never been) and I’ll need something tasty to do with them other than apple pie. Thanks for sharing!
thanks for the recipe! im at the start of planning a massive baking/cooking/filling the freezer couple of days and we both love to have something sweet but preferably a little healthy. This will be perfect.
I am excited to try this. YUM YUM YUM.
This looks and sounds amazing! I am so making some of my own. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for the inspiration! I love roasting the apples and using the peels – extra fiber. I changed the recipe a little, since I’m watching calories. I used organic honeycrisp apples so it would start out a little sweeter. I left out the oil/butter and just added two teaspoons of brown sugar. I also added a few end-of-season organic strawberries to the roasting pan when my apples had about 8 minutes left. It was sweet enough for me and the hubs, and a lovely shade of pink. 40 calories for two tablespoons = perfect topping for my morning waffle. AGAIN – LOVE THE INSPIRATION! THANK YOU SO MUCH!
Thanks for the update. I love it!