Marlene's Red Hot Applesauce

  • 4 apples - peeled, cored and chopped
  • ¾ cup water
  • ¼ cup white sugar
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
  • Step 1 In a saucepan, combine apples, water, sugar, and cinnamon. Cover, and cook over medium heat for 15 to 20 minutes, or until apples are soft. Allow to cool, then mash with a fork or potato masher.
  • 6 apples - peeled, cored, and chopped
  • ¼ cup water
  • ¼ cup cinnamon candies (such as Red Hots®)
  • 2 tablespoons white sugar
Instructions
  • Combine apples and water in a large pot over medium heat; bring to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes.
  • Stir cinnamon candies and sugar into the apples and water; return mixture to a simmer and cook until the candies melt, about 15 minutes.
  • Remove pot from heat and set aside until the mixture cools, about 15 minutes.
  • Mash apples with a potato masher until no large chunks remain.
  • Alternately, you can blend the mixture with an immersion blender to get a smoother applesauce.

Cooking w/ Baby Bears

5 steps to EASY applesauce:1. Peel, core, and cut the apples. Wash the apples well. Then I use a johnny apple peeler to do all three steps at once. Fast and easy!
2. Cook apples in a large pot with one cup of water until they’re soft enough to mash.


3. Mash.  Mash with a potato masher (for chunkier applesauce) or put apples in a blender or food processor until smooth.
4. Sweeten (optional) with sugar or brown sugar, if desired. Enjoy or see steps for canning below!
The Best Apples for Applesauce:My favorite kind for apples for making applesauce are golden delicious apples, or a combination of two different kinds, however, you can truly use any kind of apples! And, as my mom used to say, “save the bad apples for applesauce”, meaning save the apples that are more “beat-up” or aren’t as pretty or expensive.
How to can red hot applesauce
  • Sterilize your lids, rims, and jars.
  • Prepare red hot applesauce according to the recipe.
  • Fill your jars with the red hot applesauce leaving ½'' of headspace. Use a sterilized butterknife to run on the inside of the jar to remove any air bubbles.
  • Wipe the jar rims clean.
  • Process in your hot water bath canner for 20 minutes (for altitudes less than 1,000 ft). Adjust cooking time for your altitude, if necessary. For more information, visit this site
  • Store in a cool, dark place for up to 1 year.
This red hot applesauce is super smooth. If you prefer it a little chunkier, feel free not to process it in the food processor for as long as I did. A few pulses in the food processor would do the trick. We just prefer ours really smooth.

Canning Applesauce (everything you need to know):I grew up canning applesauce with my mom every fall season!  At our house we always had canned peaches, tomatoes, applesauce, pears, salsa, jam etc…on hand. (Find all of my canning recipes here). I probably took for granted how lucky I was to have Raspberry Freezer Jam available all the time!
  1. Make sure everything is sterilized! Be sure to sterilize your jars. (I usually run them through the dishwasher before I begin). You will need NEW lids, clean rings, equipment, countertops and workspace. Let’s be safe by making sure we have a clean working environment and equipment!
  2. Peel, core, and cut the apples (unless you use a food mill/strainer). Wash the apples well. Then I use a johnny apple peeler to do all three steps– peel, core and slice– at once!
  3. Cook apples until they’re soft and mash-able.  Place apple slices in a large pot and add 1 cup of water. Cook the apples over medium heat, stirring often, until tender. Mash the apples with a potato masher. If you want an even smoother consistency, puree them in a blender.
  4. Sweeten with sugar or brown sugar, if desired (remember that applesauce will sweeten naturally over time)! At this point you can add a little extra water if you need to, depending on how thick or thin you want your applesauce. I like to reach the consistency of slightly runny pudding.
  5. Pour into jars:  Fill jars with applesauce leaving 1/2” of headspace. Use a small rubber spatula to scrape down the inside of the jar and remove any air bubbles. Wipe jar rims clean. Don’t skip this step! Place lids and rings securely on the jars.
  6. Process in water-bath canner.  Process in your water bath canner for 20 minutes (for altitudes less than 1,000 ft). Adjust cooking time for your altitude, if necessary.
  7. Store.  Canned applesauce is good for up to one year when stored in a cool, dark place.