Recipe: Homemade Apple Sauce

Ingredients:

• 500g green apples (approx. 4 – 5 apples)
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup brown sugar (or sweetener of your choice)
• 1/2 tsp finely grated fresh lemon zest (if using)
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon

Method:

• Peel and core the apples and cut in to 3cm cubes.
• Bring apples, water, sugar, zest, and cinnamon to a boil in a heavy saucepan, stirring occasionally, then reduce heat and simmer, covered, 15 minutes. Stir occasionally to make sure the sauce doesn’t scorch.
• Remove lid and simmer until most of liquid is evaporated, about 5 to 10 minutes.
• Mash apples with a potato masher or a fork to a chunky texture*, then cool, cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
• Sprinkle with a little extra cinnamon

Bonus Tips & Tricks:

• Sour green apples work best – Granny Smith is a good bet.
• Making this sauce should be a quick and easy process. If your apples need to cook for longer than 30 minutes, your pieces are too big. Overcooking your apples is a big no-no as apples lose their flavour the longer they’re cooked.
• Avoid using white sugar as your sweetener. It will make the sauce too sweet and you won’t get the tasty caramel flavours we associate with good applesauce.
• Err on the side of less-is-more with your sweetener. If once cooked and cooled it’s not sweet enough for your liking, you can add some maple syrup or honey.
• Add a hint of lemon zest for an interesting and unexpected zing!
• The sugar in the sauce acts as a preservative so this sauce can easily be made, and ticked off your to do list, a few days before Christmas Day.