My Mom’s Magical Pink Applesauce

My mother has been making this pink applesauce recipe for as long as I can remember. She has been into organic food pretty much her whole adult life. I remember shopping in natural food stores with her when I was a kid.  She was a voracious label reader and always said: “I’m not buying it if the ingredients are as long as the Declaration of Independence.”  Way back in the 60’s she didn’t like what she read on baby food jars so she made ours, putting fresh ingredients into a blender.

Consequently, we didn’t have a whole lot of sweets in our house growing up. Cookies and ice cream only made an appearance if they were homemade with fresh ingredients. Chip and soda were only for birthdays.  McDonald’s visits were maybe once a year. However, we never felt deprived.

This sweet delicious applesauce was a big favorite at home. My mother was a single working mom so there was not a whole lot of time for cooking. When she did have some stolen moments in the kitchen, her creativity shone. Mom’s version uses different varieties of apples in varying degrees of sweet and tart. She also adds one pear, the “secret” ingredient. The fruit is cooked in apple juice instead of water.  Leaving the peels on the fruit help make this a quick and easy version.

What apples to use:

I used a mixture of pink crisp, red delicious, golden delicious, cameo, and granny smith apple varieties. I like the mixture of sweet and tart flavors. However, use whatever apples you have on hand.

This recipe uses zero sugar. You won’t believe how sweet it is and the color is so pretty. When I was a kid I thought of this as my mother’s magical pink applesauce.  After making it myself for the first time, I still do.

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My Mom's Magical Pink Apple Sauce

Course Condiment, Side Dish

Cuisine American

Keyword applesauce

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour

Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes

Servings 8

Author Lora Wiley-Lennartz

Ingredients

• 9 Apples, different varieties, I used 2 each of pink crisp, red delicious, golden delicious, cameo and a granny smith
• 1 large very ripe pear, I used a Bartlett
• 1 qt Pure unsweetened apple juice
• 1 large pinch ground cinnamon

Instructions

1. Chop up apples and pear into small pieces. Discard the cores.
   

2. Place the apple pieces in a large saucepan over medium heat.  Pour the apple juice over the chopped fruit just until the pieces are covered.

3. After about 20 minutes add the cinnamon and stir.
4. Boil at a medium heat until the fruit is soft and the liquid is absorbed (30-40 minutes)

5. Let cool for about a half hour and then transfer to a blender or food processor and process until smooth.

6. Store in an airtight container in the fridge.