Applesauce

Applesauce, a staple in vegan and low fat cooking. The bonus? The fact the you’ll never even know its there! The apples here are roasted first before pureed for maximum apple flavor. I prefer to use Macintosh apples for this recipe but any apple would do. Just keep in mind, the level of sweetness or tartness will vary from one variety of apple to another so adjust your sugar accordingly.

If you plan to serve this applesauce on its own you way want to add a little more agave. I’ve kept the sweetness of this recipe rather low as its often added to recipes already containing sugar.This recipe can be easily halved, but I like to make a nice big batch like this and keep it in the freezer, especially around the holidays when I begin my holiday baking.

Makes about 3 pints

4 pounds apples, peeled, cored, and diced into 1-inch pieces
1 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed
3/4 cup hot water
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

2 tablespoons agave nectar
1/4 to 1/2 cup warm water

Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

In a large bowl whisk together brown sugar, lemon juice, ground cinnamon and 3/4 cup of hot water to combine. Add chopped apples and gently stir to coat the apples in the sugar mixture.

Place the apple mixture on prepared baking sheet and distribute into a single layer.

Bake for 40 minutes or until the apples are tender. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.

In the bowl of a food processor combine the roasted apples with the agave nectar. With the food processor running, slowly add the warm water through the feed tube until the fixture is smooth and the desired consistency. You may find that you don’t need to use all the water, depending on the variety of apples used. The mixture should be loose and smooth but not runny.

The apple sauce can be stored in the refrigerator in airtight containers for up to 2 weeks or frozen for up to 6 months.