No Sugar Added Crock Pot Applesauce & Apple Butter

I am never buying another bag of apples again. At least, not in Philadelphia.

A 3-lb bag of Macintosh apples that I bought last week looked great in the store: red, shiny, no bruises, skin intact. Then I got them home, and every point of contact between them boasted a very large, unattractive bruise. But there's a silver lining to all of this. In fact, just how spotted bananas make the best banana bread, I think spotted apples might make the best applesauce.

So about a month ago, over my school break, I decided to do an experiment involving home-made apple butter. I kind of adore apple butter, but most brands are full of sugar, and most homemade recipes are no different. For the sugar-free version, I basically just made a spiced applesauce in the crock pot, and reduced it on the stove.

Apple Butter Recipe

Ingredients:
3 pounds Macintosh apples, skinned and chopped
1/2 cup unsweetened 100% apple juice or unsweetened cider
Two-inch piece of whole cinnamon stick - this stuff is powerful
The zest of one ripe tangerine
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp allspice

Directions:
1. Cook on "low" in crock pot - this one is a 5 quart size - for 7-9 hours.
Stir several times throughout. At the end of the 7-9 hours, remove the cinnamon stick.

2. To reduce, heat in a saucepan, stirring constantly. Adjust heat to the highest possible setting before spattering occurs. (Nobody needs that mess). This takes about 20 minutes, but may be adjusted according to how thick you want it. If you want it perfectly smooth, you can use an immersion blender, or process in a food processor, but I did not do this and it still came out quite smooth from all the stirring.

This made just the right amount to fill a 16 oz jar. Kept refrigerated, it'll keep for a couple of weeks. Spread it on your favorite toast and you will not be disappointed.

Today, I decided to give this another try, stopping at the "applesauce" point. I attribute this decision to the love that Brady and I share for childish snacks, like peanut butter & jelly sandwiches, tuna melts, and apparently, applesauce.

I'm not too sure why I used the 5 qt crock pot for the original apple butter experiment. This time I was able to fit a 3-lb-bag's worth of apples (peeled, and chopped into pieces that vary wildly in size and shape) into the 2-qt machine, to which I added 1/4 tsp of nutmeg, a 1-inch piece of cinnamon stick, a pinch of ground cloves, and about 1/3 cup of water.

My apples cooked for about 3 hours on high before turning mushy, but you could also cook them on low for 5-7 hours. This made about one large-cereal-bowl's worth of tasty applesauce. Be sure to pull out the bits of cinnamon stick while you're spooning it out of the crock pot. You can skip the spices, or experiment with new ones.

Yum! Snack time!

Of course, besides snacking, you can use applesauce for baking deliciously moist muffins and cooking with other things, especially pork.


Quote of the Day: Life is not orderly. No matter how we try to make life so, right in the middle of it we die, lose a leg, fall in love, drop a jar of applesauce. ~ Natalie Goldberg 

EDIT: I've revised the measurement of the spices to be more specific, but there is lots of wiggle room there. Taste and adjust accordingly!

Peanut Butter and Oat Energy Bites from The Cilantropist

I have two people to thank for this fab snack recipe: The Cilantropist, for writing about it, and my sister for telling me - quite adamantly - that I should try it.

Despite all the school work I should have been doing instead of making these, a 9-hour shift at my retail job, and the possibility of not having a day off this week were my inspiration to stock up on reinforcements. If you're like me, hungry = tired = cranky = potentially being very rude to my coworkers and customers. So at a job like mine, the challenge is to avoid hunger at all costs without frequenting the nearby fast-food spots.

 Photo credit to The Cilantropist

For these tasty, healthy, and power-packed little guys there isn't a lot more to say than this: Make them. It couldn't be easier. It is literally just a matter of measuring out a few things, mixing them up, and rolling the mixture into balls.

From The Cilantropist:

3/4 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup unsalted, roasted sunflower seeds
1/2 cup (or more) dried cranberries, roughly chopped
2 tbsp ground flaxseed
1/2 tsp kosher salt
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1 tbsp honey
1/2 tsp vanilla extract


Mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl, making sure to evenly distribute all the ingredients.  Take some of the dough and press it together between your hands - if it sticks together well, it is ready to go, if it feels too dry then add a bit more peanut butter or honey.  Likewise, if it is too 'wet,' add some extra oats or flax.  


To form the dough into a small bite, use a spoon or a cookie scoop to portion out the dough, squeeze it between your hands, and then gently roll it into a ball.  This amount of dough makes 12 bites that are about 2 inches in diameter.  Store the bites in an airtight container, and keep them refrigerated until eating.  Bites will keep for 1-2 weeks refrigerated.