Easy Crockpot Applesauce

I made crockpot applesauce for the first time last week.  It turned out great and tastes like apple pie, with no added sugar!  I had extra canning jars, so I decided to jar a few for quick gifts this season.

What You'll Need:

• 6-9 medium to large apples (I used organic red delicious, but I have since also used Fuji and Gala, and those work great, too)
• 1 tbl cinnamon
• 1 tbl pumpkin pie spice
• 1 tsp nutmeg
• 1 tsp ginger
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp. sea salt or himalayan salt
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 3 cups water

Peel half the apples.  Leave the skins on the other half of the apples (this leaves some much loved fiber in your sauce). Core and dice the apples into small chunks.  Place in crockpot and add all spices, lemon juice, and 3 cups of the water.  Cook on low for 6-8 hours.  If it becomes too thick as it cooks, add additional water.

Flavored applesauce variation (optional):  in the last hour of simmering, add 3 bananas, 3 peaches (peeled, pitted, and sliced), or 1 cup of blueberries.

Once soft, use an immersion blender or food processor to puree the apples.  Note:  I had to do 2-3 batches in my food processor to blend the entire batch.  

Transfer to jars or storage containers.  Keep refrigerated or freeze.  

For gift giving, simply add ribbon and gift tag (if desired) and you are set!