Crockpot Applesauce!

I'm weird about apples. If I get one that's mushy at all, it activates my gag threshold like no other, and then I can hardly even look at another one for weeks.

But I love the taste of apples, and even more, I love the whole autumnal idea of apples. So that's how we came to have 2-3lb of apples sitting on our counter, growing no crisper as the days went on.

Similarly, I love applesauce, but I hate the idea of a) peeling all those apples and b) wasting all those peels. So in the interest of using up those apples with a minimum of labor, we decided to try to make a peels-on version in the crockpot overnight. It worked out great! Here's what we did:

Crockpot Applesauce

2-3 lbs apples, any kind, cored and sliced

Sprinkle of cinnamon
~1/3 cup brown sugar
~1 cup of water

Put the apples in the crockpot. Pour water in. Sprinkle cinnamon and brown sugar on top. Cover, and cook on low all night. In the morning (or when apples are completely soft), blend with food processor or immersion blender. Yield: about 4-5 cups.

That's it! We probably actually could have gotten away without any water--the apples released a ton of juice on their own--but we didn't want to wake up to a burned, sticky mess on the bottom of the crockpot, so we erred on the safe side. It also came out a little more like apple butter in color and texture--maybe because I used brown sugar? And the immersion blender makes it smooth and creamy. Usually I like a chunky applesauce, but I thought I'd go pretty blended on these because of the peels.