Cinnamon Applesauce

I’ve learned recently that when you pick nearly 20lbs of apples, you need to find ways to use up lots of them in a single shot.  And this cinnamon applesauce recipe certainly gave me the opportunity to do so.  The original recipe calls for 12lbs of apples and if you could imagine someone without a food scale that measured over 16oz at a clip trying to weigh 6lbs of apples (I halved the recipe), you’d be imagining me in my kitchen a few weeks back.  Needless to say, it was a long afternoon…long but highly rewarding.

You see, this cinnamon applesauce was my first venture into canning (water) and while it took me a while to weigh out the apples, the end result of a long afternoon was some pretty damn good applesauce.  I made a couple of changes to the original recipe, mainly reducing the sugar. The recipe (halved) I used called for 1 1/2 cups of sugar as an option and since I prefer unsweetened applesauce when I buy it, I wasn’t looking for this one to be sweet although because I wasn’t sure of how tart the apples would be, I halved the sugar and added some cinnamon.  Good call on my part.  The applesauce turned out just as I had hoped it would (excellent!) and still yielded 4 more jars than I expected despite the reduced amount of sugar. My revisions are reflected below.

If you don’t want to can this applesauce, it can be frozen for up to 2 months or refrigerated in tightly sealed container for about 1 week.

~~~

Still looking for more apple recipes? Check these out…

Oatmeal Blueberry Applesauce Muffins

Fuji Apple Spice Cake

~~~

[print_this]

Cinnamon Applesauce

source: Ball Fresh Preserving

Ingredients:

• 6 lbs apples, peeled, cored, quartered, treated to prevent browning and drained (about 18 medium)
• Water
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar, optional
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 4 Tbsp lemon juice
• 12 8 oz (or 6 16oz/pint) glass preserving jars with lids and bands

Instructions:

1. PREPARE boiling water canner. Heat jars and lids in simmering water until ready for use. Do not boil. Set bands aside.
2. COMBINE apples with just enough water to prevent sticking in a large stainless steel saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and boil gently, stirring occasionally, for 5 to 20 minutes, until apples are tender (time will depend upon the variety of apple and their maturity). Remove from heat and let cool slightly, about 5 minutes.
3. TRANSFER apples, working in batches, to a food mill or a food processor fitted with a metal blade and purée until smooth.
4. RETURN apple purée to saucepan. Add sugar, if using, and lemon juice. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring frequently to prevent sticking. Maintain a gentle boil over low heat while filing jars.
5. LADLE hot applesauce into hot jars leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles. Wipe rim of jar with a clean, dry towel. Center lid on jar. Apply band until fit is fingertip tight.
6. PROCESS jars in a boiling water canner for 20 minutes, adjusting for altitude. Remove jars and cool. Check lids for seal after 24 hours. Lid should not flex up and down when center is pressed.

[/print_this]