Crockpot applesauce will change your life

In the late morning, as the sun starts warming up the world, as the men outside are powerwashing the outside of your building and making quite the racket, you're going to make crockpot applesauce. It's going to make your home smell like apples and cinnamon, and you're going to eat it for dessert, hot with whipped cream. 

Only, you'll make more than two people need, so you'll invite some friends over. 

apples before cooking

Here's how to make it. 

Peel, core, slice and chop 8-10 apples. If you have this apple corer/slicer/peeler, it cuts your work in half. I bought one for myself for my birthday in late August, because Fall was coming, and Fall is apple season. A good investment, in my book. 

So imagine what the sliced, cored, peeled apple looks like. It's the shape of the apple because it slices it in a spiral, so the whole thing stays together. Put it on your cutting board, cut it down the middle, then cut it down the middle the other way, basically making a + through the apple. Essentially, quarter it. That is how big you want your apples. If they're too small, they'll just mush up and your apple sauce will have very little texture. I like it lumpy, more like apple pie filling. 

Put all the chopped apples in the crockpot, splash with the juice of 1 lemon (about 1/4 cup if using bottled juice), 2 heaping tablespoons of brown sugar, and 1/2 tablespoon cinnamon. Roughly stir, just to mix, then turn on the crockpot for 8 hours (low). 

Sit back and allow your home to absorb the apple-cinnamon-y goodness. Even better, leave the house. Go run some errands, and when you come back, you'll be washed over with the smell. 

Some ways to eat your homemade applesauce:

+ warm with whipped cream for dessert

+ on oatmeal for breakfast

+ on pork chops 

+ as apple pie filling (add caramel and you've basically got this recipe) 

+ by itself, as a side dish

+ as the dressing for a spinach salad with candied pecans and grilled chicken