Apple

Cinnamon Stick Applesauce

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Homemade organic applesauce recipe with cinnamon, lemon, apples

I have a secret to tell you. Just a few short years ago homemade applesauce was a mystery to me. I would buy jars of unsweetened, organic applesauce but I did not make my own. All it takes is coring a bunch of apples, boiling them up in some water and adding a pinch of spices (or in this case a cinnamon stick.) Depending the sweetness of your apples, you might add a smidge of natural sweetener too. The lesson I learned as soon as I made my first batch was how simple, quick and easy it is to make your own. It tastes better when you make it yourself and your house smells delicious as it cooks.

Fresh Honey Crisp apples in colander

Not too long after I started my blog I became online friends with Liz Weiss and Janice Bissex the lovely women behind the website Meal Makeover Moms. They are both registered dietitians and busy moms. We share a similar philosophy regarding the meals we prepare for our families. It is essential for us to cook healthy, delicious food for the ones we love.

Fresh Pink Lady apples for homemade applesauce recipe.

They recently published a book called No Whine with Dinner (love that name.) In this book they share 150 easy to follow recipes that were cooked up by moms and taste tested by their kids. The idea behind that all that testing was to find recipes even the pickiest eaters would love.

Homemade applesauce recipe with cinnamon stick and yogurt dots.Liz and Janice want to ensure that family meal time is happy, healthy and filled with great whole food ingredients. There is also a fun chapter called “50 Mom’s Secrets for Getting Picky Eaters to Try New Foods.”

Homemade applesauce recipe with cinnamon stick and yogurt dots.

I was so honored when they asked to feature my recipe for Cranberry Pear Applesauce in their “Bloggers Best” section in the book. These days I always have a big batch of homemade applesauce on hand. Not only do we love to snack on it, I also love to use it in baking. Applesauce adds sweetness, flavor and a nice crumb to baked goods. It also reduces the fat needed in cakes, muffins, cookies, etc.

Homemade applesauce recipe with cinnamon stick and yogurt dots.

I also use it as a dip for my morning stuffed french toast instead of maple syrup. My kids love it in their lunch boxes. Next time you have oatmeal stir in some applesauce instead of sugar. Applesauce yogurt parfaits are fun too for breakfast, dessert or snacks.

Graphic with pink fleur de lis for MarlaMeridith.com

Cookbook by Liz Weiss and Janice Bissex

Giveaway Details

This giveaway is now closed. Congrats to Sue from Munchkin Munchies.

I have one copy to give to you. This giveaway is open to folks in the USA only please. Entries will close on Sunday March 13th at 12am PST. Winner will be chosen at random.org. You can also purchase the book at my Amazon store.

Please do any or all of these to enter. Leave a separate comment per entry.

  • COMMENT Do you make homemade applesauce? If so what is your favorite recipe? Do you have a picky eater in your house?
  • TWEET THIS Copy and paste the following Tweet into the Twitter message field:@MarlaMeridith has a giveaway copy of the cookbook *No Whine with Dinner* at MarlaMeridith.com http://su.pr/1K5vF2
  • MAKE UP YOUR OWN TWEET
  • TWITTER follow MarlaMeridith.com @MarlaMeridith
  • FACEBOOK Become a fan of MarlaMeridith.com on Facebook
  • E-MAIL SUBSCRIPTION Create a new FREE E-Mail Subscription to MarlaMeridith.com.
  • TWITTER Follow authors and nutritionists Janice and Liz
  • FACEBOOK Become a fan of the Meal Makeover Moms

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Cinnamon Stick Applesauce

Makes about 48 ounces (12 half cup servings)

NOTES:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  • Sweeten your applesauce to taste with your favorite natural sweetener. You might not need to at all. I like stevia powder. You can also use pure maple syrup, honey or sucanat (unrefined cane sugar.)
  • You can make your applesauce smooth or chunky, simply purée it until it reaches the desired consistency.
  • Adjust water to make thicker or thinner. I have found that 3/4 cup of water per pound of apples is a middle ground for thickness.
  • My favorite apples are Pink Lady, Honey Crisp and Granny Smith. I generally use a combination of these when I make applesauce.
  • I keep the skins on the apples for added nutritional value, fiber and flavor. Once it is puréed you cannot even tell they are there.
  • Cooking the applesauce with the cinnamon stick really infuses the flavor into the sauce. If you do not have cinnamon sticks you can add a few pinches of ground cinnamon to taste towards the end of cooking time.

INGREDIENTS

  • 3 pounds your favorite Apples, cleaned, cored and roughly chopped
  • 3/4 cup Water per pound of apples
  • 1/2 Lemon or 1 tablespoon Lemon Juice
  • 1 Cinnamon Stick

OPTIONAL GARNISH

  • fat free Greek Yogurt
  • Sour Cream
  • Spices: ground Cinnamon, Cardamom, Nutmeg, Pumpkin Pie Spice
  • Dried Fruit: Raisins, Blueberries, Cranberries, tart Cherries

METHOD

In a heavy bottomed large pot add apples, water and cinnamon stick. Squeeze in lemon juice. Bring to boil over medium high heat. Lower the heat and simmer for about 30 minutes. Remove from the heat and let applesauce cool a bit. Take out the cinnamon stick. Purée in blender or food processor until desired consistency is achieved. Add more water if needed.

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Applesauce Recipe Links

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~ Marla Meridith

Join the Conversation

158 thoughts on “Cinnamon Stick Applesauce

  1. Congratulations on having your applesauce included in No
    Whine With Dinner! Homemade applesauce is the best! Haven’t made it
    in a while, but you’ve just reminded me of how simple it is to make
    and how good it tastes. I tweeted your giveaway and liked Meal
    Makeover Mom’s facebook page.

  2. You know, that’s pretty much my recipe right there. Sometimes I’ll get fancy and add some maple extract, but that’s usually it. I have an apple peeler/corer/slicer that has made this easy recipe even easier! Best $20 spent in a long time!

  3. I haven’t made my own applesauce but it is on my to do list for this year. Your recipe will give me the push I need to get started on it. 🙂

  4. I’m so glad you posted this! I’ve never made homemade
    applesauce, but I’ve been thinking about doing it lately and this
    has given me more motivation. The cook book looks great, I would
    love to win it!

  5. I do make applesauce! My brother has a produce business. In
    the fall, when he has loads of apples, I always stock my freezer
    with applesauce made with mixtures of whatever kind of apples I can
    get my hands on. My grandson likes it best plain, so that’s what I
    make. No picky eaters here- they’ve all grown up and moved
    out!

  6. You reminded me too of how easy it is to make homemade applesauce. I haven’t made it in years, but the other day my 4-year-old daughter asked me if we could make it sometime so I think we will soon.
    I would love to win the giveaway No Whine With Dinner; I would love to be cooking healthier meals for my daughter and hubby too.
    Oh, I do have a question: Can you tell me where you got the cute paper applesauce cups? They look sturdier than cupcake liners and would be fun to use with kids.

    1. Peggy. Hi! Your 4 year old will love homemade applesauce. She can help you pick out the apples at the farmers market or the store (or pick them from trees if you are lucky enough to have those!) She will love watching the process and then enjoying the sweet, fruity sauce.
      The little white cups: I got those so long ago. Either it was a craft store like Michael’s in the baking or craft department or a baking supply store. Think I bought them for my daughter’s 4th b’day party and she is now 7. How time flies and my memory fades 😉 Good luck finding them.

  7. i have three picky eaters… one of which i am married to. lol. we love homemade apple sauce. and the kids love to help me cook it too… which we count as a daily art project.

    1. Averie: I still need a Vitamix bad. Vitamix do you hear me 😉
      4 seconds is amazing, without even cutting the apples. Nice.

  8. Thank you for linking to my post daaahling. This applesauce looks fab, and I love the way you presented it, so sweet. I don’t qualify for your giveaway as I live in the UK, but do stop by my place and enter my giveaway for an $80 Amazon gift card!
    *kisses* HH

  9. Hi Marla, I just discovered your blog through your guest post on Tidy Mom. What a nice surprise! You seem to be making what I love the most… and the pictures are beautiful too. I believe I will be back very often, but first I’m going to try to make your blueberry cake and the broccoli/cauliflower/avocado soup 🙂

  10. I don’t make it often, but when I do I add vanilla paste (just a little), ginger, cinnamon and a pinch of chipotle. I know it sounds weird but I like it. 🙂

    1. Heather: You are so right. Homemade applesauce is more of a method. Once you start doing it amazing the kinds of fruits and spices you can toss in that pot. Sweet memories of your mom.

  11. I have never made my own applesauce, but like you have always bought the unsweetened kind in a jar and added my own cinnamon. I’ll have to try out your recipe. It would be fun to make with my kids:)

  12. I have never made my own applesauce, but my sister made some (canned the ol’ fashioned way), and it was the BEST applesauce I’ve ever tasted.

    Your recipe looks so easy though, I am eager to try it!

  13. I’ve never tried it, but you’ve inspired me! I’m organizing a binder of recipes by seasonal main ingredient, so I’m tucking this away in my apples section and will be ready when the bags and bags of apples arrive!

  14. I love making homemade applesauce–I also just started 2 years ago. I love just using apples, cinnamon and a bit of water. So tasty, blows the jarred stuff out of the water!

  15. Marla- I found your site about 3 weeks ago and have become
    an avid reader/follower! I love your recipes and commitment to
    providing your family with delicious healthy food. My have 2 small
    kids (4 and 3) and we are in the process of going sugar free. Since
    they are still small, they don’t know to the full extent of what
    has disappeared from the house (sugary cookies, chips, fruit
    snacks) but they are loving all the fresh fruit and my huzzband
    love the Telluride Trail Bars that I made last week! Thanks for all
    the time and love you put into this site- It is helping me feed my
    family better daily! *I just bought apples and will be making
    homemade applesauce today!! Many thanks-Tristan

  16. You make a simple applesauce look so good. I love how you
    decorate everything. I do make homemade applesauce and I like to
    make a vanilla bean version. Next time I’m skipping the sugar and
    I’m going to use Stevia.

  17. Congrats on your “bloggers best” recipe feature! It is certainly well deserved.

    I have never made my own applesauce before! Sounds like something you could really get creative with ingredient/flavor-wise. I’ll have to try it!

  18. Grats on your recipe being included in the book! I do make my own applesauce and my favorite recipe, other than just plain, is your pumpkin applesauce. And your cherry Earl Grey applesauce.

    No need to enter me in giveaway.

  19. I started making applesauce after I discovered your Cranberry Pear Applesauce recipe. I never realized how simple and delicious it is. Plus I had never tried honey crisp apples. Now they are my absolute favorite apples to use and eat.

    1. Anne: Lots of folks out there use their slow cookers for applesauce. I do not have one but I know your results will be fabulous. One of my readers mentioned she does the whole thing in her Vitamix blender. I love everyones creativity. We gotta work with the tools, gadgets and time we have.

  20. I make cooked apples sometimes, but I haven’t actually made
    applesauce. I’m interested in trying your cranberry pear applesauce
    recipe. I like the idea of serving french toast with applesauce
    instead of syrup. My son is not a picky eater–unless something
    looks green. =/

  21. I have a very picky eater – and she’s not 2, she’s 14! She
    does love applesauce, though. My mother made applesauce and I’m
    thinking of trying this! Thank you!

  22. Marla, I love making homemade applesauce, and you’re right,
    once you find out how to make it you realize how surprisingly
    simple it is and how foolish it is to buy it from the store! And
    yes, the aroma is tantalizing! Thanks for sharing this scrumptious,
    simple recipe and the giveaway.

  23. This is a beautiful post. I can’t wait to make applesauce
    in the fall. I didn’t make any last year and I really regret it.
    Thanks for the tip about including the cinnamon stick in with it.
    I”m going to save this post and refer back to it. Love it!!
    🙂

  24. I have a semi-picky four year old. Selectively picky,
    although he does eat a wide range of foods, luckily. Sounds like a
    good book!

  25. I have made my own – it’s easy – just time consuming to cut
    up all the apples. Definitely better than store bought 🙂 I need to
    remember to sub applesauce in baked goods – I always seem to
    forget!!

    1. Linda: If you can get an apple slicer/corer it makes it go so much quicker. Plus you don’t have to have the big chef’s knife out if you are around little kids. Here is the slicer I am talking about:

  26. I’ve never made homemade applesauce myself, but I want to. My favorite kind of applesauce is cinnamony and chunky so this would be perfect! Thanks for a great recipe and giveaway!

  27. I have made my own in the past. I didn’t really use a recipe, I just steamed some apples and then smooshed them with some cinnamon. My daughter loved it.

    1. Ally: I need a freezer big enough to hold all the applesauce I would love to stow away. I know what you mean, it does not last long at all.

  28. I’ve always made homemade apple sauce, I watched both my
    mother and my grandmother make it for me when I was a kid.
    Apparently they couldn’t make enough of it to last more than a day
    because I ate so much of it! I never use a recipe just go based on
    how much juice the apples are giving off and how sweet they are.
    But now as an adult I think I prefer pear sauce to apple, funny how
    tastes change with age.

    1. Sylvie: I love pear sauce too. Back this fall I made a Pear Spice Cake that had homemade pear sauce in it. Such a cute story about when you were a kid. I don’t usually measure the water either – just needed to give folks who have never made homemade applesauce an indicator of how much to use.

  29. I currently do not make applesauce, but since my family
    LOVES it am a little inspired to give it a try! Thanks for your
    recipe & the nudge I needed 🙂

  30. No, I have never made homemade applesauce BUT have been
    wanting to try it. I just need to do it! I have one very picky
    eater in my house. Some days it makes me want to pull my hair out.
    This book sounds awesome!

  31. Only you, Marla – seriously – ONLY you could make those doctor pill dose paper cups look so darn cute!!!
    I have been swamped and knee deep in planning a local food conference for Slow Food Edmonton called Eat Alberta. Fun times. Good work and great purpose, but I miss my kitchen, cooking – I haven’t posted anything for over two weeks, and I miss reading YOU!
    I am trying to catch up!
    🙂
    Valerie

    1. Valerie: You are hilarious! I bought those paper cups ages ago for my daughters 4th b’day. I had the kids all decorate cookies and those little white cups were for the sprinkles, frosting etc. I had not a clue how I wanted to style this applesauce and then I spotted them high on a shelf. Lost & found……
      I miss your posts, but the Eat Alberta conference you are planning will be well worth your efforts! xo

  32. My roommate often buys those big bags of apples at the
    supermarket and whenever she fails to eat them before they start to
    get soft, we make a BIG pot of applesauce. Mix in some vanilla and
    cinnamon…it’s so incredibly more heavenly than anything you can
    buy at the store. I’m loving your version also! The more cinnamon,
    the better, in my opinion!

  33. I’m in luck because my neighbor has this apple tree that
    produces a LOT of apples. And it appears she has never done
    anything with them. So this year I worked up the nerve to ask her
    if I could pick them. She’s really shy so I don’t know her very
    well and wasn’t certain how it would go. But she said yes and I
    ended up with bushels of apples! And now we have about 20 big mason
    jars full of applesauce. I agree with you that leaving the skins on
    is just fine – doesn’t impact the taste at all. And as vegans, we
    use a lot of applesauce in our recipes so I’m sure we’ll have no
    problem getting through those jars. Great post!

  34. I just stumbled across you blog on Twitter and I am so
    glad! I love it! Your shots are absolutely gorgeous. Just the way
    you set up the applesauce would be enough to have my kiddos begging
    for a bite! I have never made my own applesauce before, but if I
    were to do so, I would love to do cinnamon apple. Good luck with
    the giveaway!

  35. Actually, the picky eater in my family is my husband! But
    after seeing your recipe and gorgeous pics, I’ll be trying
    home-made applesauce this weekend!

  36. You make homemade applesauce sound so easy. I also have a
    peeler/corer/slicer that I need to try out-I now have inspiration
    to do so 🙂 Thank you! kim

  37. I haven’t made homemade applesauce since my kids were
    babies and I made all their baby food. I usually used golden
    delicious apples and a very tiny dash of cinnamon. I guess I forgot
    how yummy and easy it is. Thanks for the recipe – I will try it!
    Thank you also for the giveaway.

  38. First starting making applesauce back in the 70’s from a
    recipe in a Houston newspaper. I made the applesauce to use in an
    apple cake. No picky eaters in my house – just those that can not
    eat everything. Between the low salt diet, the non dairy diet, and
    the gluten free diet one might think I have picky eaters – just 3
    family members with different health issues.

    1. Susan: Sounds like a lot of careful planning needs to go into the food you prepare for your family. Very good thing they are not picky eaters though! Thanks for stopping by & leaving such thoughtful comments 🙂

  39. I’m not a big applesauce eater, but my mother-in-law
    wouldn’t think of buying applesauce from the store and my kids
    gobble hers up. Maybe I should break down and make it for
    them!

  40. I recently made applesauce in my pressure cooker and it was
    cooked in only about 5 minutes. I also love using an immersion
    blender to puree it in the pot. I’ve never tried it with the skins
    on. I’ll have to give that a try. Congrats on being featured in the
    cookbook! Love the way you’ve dressed them up.

    1. Barbara: I do not even own a pressure cooker. 5 minute applesauce-I love that! Come to think of it I also need an immersion blender. Or maybe just a trip to visit you in your kitchen 😉 Gosh would that be fun!

  41. I love the swirl garnish of yogurt/sour cream on top of the
    applesauce cups! I love making my own applesauce in the fall with
    freshly picked NY apples. I usually use my slow cooker and just add
    cinnamon and maple extract. 🙂

    1. Liz: I have amazing memories of those crisp fall apples in NY. The slow cooker is a great idea for folks who cannot be around watching a pot on the stove.To walk into a steamy cooker of homemade applesauce after a long day would be heavenly.

  42. I make applesauce probably once a month; I mostly use it for baking, sometimes for snacking, and we love it! I use a simple recipe – a bit of sugar, a pinch of cinnamon, a few apples, boiling water, and voila! 🙂
    The picky eater, my 20 month old, loves it, too, so that’s a big bonus.

  43. Homemade applesauce!!!
    Is there just no end!
    Girlie~you are AMAZING!
    Your food is sooooooo CUTE!
    Not only is it HEALTHY…but it’s CUTE too!
    Just like YOU!
    xo

  44. My mother has always made a ridiculous amount of homemade applesauce. As kids we’d all fight for the chance to spin the crank first (but after an hour or so everyone had had enough!) She didn’t add anything to it but apples, but when we’d eat it we’d add red hots or cinnamon sugar. Yum.

    1. Jennie: “Red hots or cinnamon sugar” – I love that! That is a treat my kids would never forget. They would love the crank. Gotta get a ricer over here so they can do that.

  45. How wonderful to have your recipe included. Have to try
    making my own. If a US address works, please do include my name in
    the draw. Thank you

  46. Applesauce is high on my list of things to try making this
    summer when apples are in season! This recipe looks great! I will
    have to try it because I LOVE cinnamon sticks. I most often use
    them in Coconut Oatmeal.