Honey Cinnamon Applesauce in the Crockpot

Honey cinnamon applesauce in the crockpot was on the to-do list. Honestly, what was on the to-do list was “get the apples processed!” They were everywhere in the kitchen since I felt the need to bring home a couple bushels of apples from the orchard. And in my own haphazard style, I ended up mixing up the tart apples I bought for eating and canning with the apples bought for pie filling and applesauce. Now I had a large crockpot of the the most tart applesauce ever made. There are many other ways to preserve apples but this year we needed more applesauce on the shelves.

Sugar would have been my first solution a few years ago. Since that time we have begun using honey more often as a sweetener of choice, here at home. It’s definitely worth a try. Most batches of applesauce are sweet naturally because I don’t choose the tart crunchy apples. Experimentation leads to new culinary delights! So I set to work making this batch of applesauce more palette pleasing.

After scouring the internet for some idea of how much honey to add, I decided to start with a quarter of a cup of honey and a teaspoon of cinnamon. You can always add more honey to taste. If you are starting fresh and adding the honey at the beginning of the cooking process, add a  four tablespoons of honey, to start with. You can always add more later. 

Honey Cinnamon Applesauce  (Serves 8)

14 apples

1/4 cup of raw honey

1 teaspoon of cinnamon

1 teaspoon of real vanilla extract

Cut apples and remove the core. I usually slice the apples into four to six pieces and toss into the crockpot. When all the apples are cut and cored, fill the crockpot with water and three tablespoons of lemon juice. Stir to coat all the apples and let sit for 15 minutes. Lemon juice prevents some of the browning, although you can see this batch came out quite dark.

Drain the water from the apples. Add the honey, cinnamon and vanilla extract. Set the crockpot to cook on low for four hours. Check your apples while they are cooking because each crockpot cooks differently. Your batch of apples might cook more quickly. 

Using a stick blender (immersion blender) Blend the cooked honey cinnamon applesauce to the consistency you prefer. 

Return the crockpot to cook down the mixture for another hour or two. The honey cinnamon applesauce will thicken as it cooks. 

Serve a dish of this delicious applesauce alongside one of these low sugar muffins for a healthy start to the day. Or check out these savory ways to add applesauce to your recipes. I am loving that idea for AppleSauce IceCream!

Looking for more ideas on using apples? 

Make a Cider Press

Skillet Apple Pie

Spiced Apple Jelly – No Pectin

Apple Jack- Is it Legal and Safe?

Pear-Apple Jam 

Caramel Applesauce

 

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