Right as I was working on my post rounding up some of the best savory apple recipes from around the web, I received the latest catalog from Stonewall Kitchen. Their cover featured a jar of Maple Applesauce. It looked so appealing that I started thinking about which of their stores it would make more sense to drive to today so I could pick up a jar.
Then sanity prevailed. Knowing how great their products are, I am sure this applesauce would be well worth any drive or disruption in plans. Still, I started thinking about how to make maple applesauce at home. Their recipe has very few ingredients–apples, sugar, spices, and, of course, maple syrup. Could I make something similar in my kitchen with ingredients on hand?
Kat’s Homemade Maple Applesauce
I decided to give it a try. Starting with the applesauce recipe and technique that I think I have used since junior high school home economics class, I tweaked the recipe to reduce the amount of added sugar to accommodate the maple syrup. I also decided to use maple sugar in addition to the maple syrup. In the end I am really pleased with the results. Though this is great on its own, I imagine it would be good with oatmeal, yogurt, or pork chops. It might not be as good as Stonewall Kitchen’s product–I’ll have to wait and see–but opening a jar of their applesauce wouldn’t make the house smell as good as making this stuff did!
Kat's Maple Applesauce
Ingredients
- 5 medium-sized apples (see note)
- ½ cup water
- 1 T lemon juice
- ¼ t cinnamon
- ⅛ t nutmeg
- 3-4 T pure maple syrup
- 1-2 t maple sugar optional
Instructions
- Core and roughly peel apples. Then cut into even, medium-sized chunks.
- Place apples in a pan with water and lemon juice. Cover and cook for 15 minutes or until apples are soft.
- Add spices, maple syrup, and maple sugar (if using).
- Mash with a potato masher if you like your applesauce chunky. Puree with an immersion blender if you prefer it smooth.
Recipe Notes
Many applesauce recipes call for Macintosh apples only. I prefer a mix of apples. For this recipe I used a mix of tart and sweet apples–Pink Lady, Braeburn, and Gala. You could also use Fuji, Granny Smith, or Golden Delicious. For more information on apple types, see this pin on the MyUntangled Life “Apple Season!” board on Pinterest.
