Cinnamon Applesauce: A Concept, Not a Recipe

This Isn’t a Recipe

A simple kitchen series from The Contented Hearth

In this series, you won’t find precise measurements or lengthy ingredient lists—instead, you’ll discover easy concepts to help you maximize your kitchen economy.

With each “not recipe,” I’ll share how I’ve learned to make the most of what I have, including those sad apples and stale breads.

This is homemaking at its finest—not hours of labor and endless ingredients, but simple techniques that help you make the most of your daily bread.

Let us find contentment in our humble fare and nourish our families with wholesome, heartfelt food.

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As you’re taking stock of your produce—oh no!—you notice that your apples are looking less than perky. Or…you have an unfortunate amount of half-eaten apples lamenting in the fridge because of your sneaky toddler. (Maybe gross? But in this large family, we share our germs freely!)

What’s a home cook to do?

Enter the easiest concept to implement in your kitchen… the sauce.

I’m here to say that this doesn’t just apply to apples. Let’s go crazy and throw in your pears, peaches—maybe even plums and apricots!

Cooking caveat: Add an extra sweetener of choice to acidic fruits to balance out the tart.

When I’m making applesauce, I never, ever peel them. Gosh, that is such a tedious task. And you miss out on all that flavorful, healthy goodness!

Apple peels contain nearly half the fruit’s fiber and boost satiety. They’re also loaded with vitamins like C, A, and B, and have plenty of antioxidants and potassium. So don’t waste that goodness!

Frugal boost: Don’t throw out your cores—use them to create apple scrap vinegar!

Here are my steps:

Be sure to thoroughly clean your fruit.
Chop them up into chunks.
Throw them into a pot with a splash of water to keep them from burning.
Add a dash (you know, like a nice shake) of cinnamon, and if you’re feeling fancy, a dollop of honey.
Let it sit on a low-medium heat until nice and soft.
Blend with an immersion blender (a gadget that I believe is well worth your money) or let it cool slightly and take it to a standard blender.

Now pat yourself on the back for a thrifty job well done!

Now I will say—my children are so picky about the tiny leftover skins. If I plan to serve it to them fresh, I run it through a food mill to remove the skins. But 99% of the time, I use this applesauce in baking… like in a delicious cinnamon applesauce cake!

I hope that this little frugal habit helps to further your skills in the kitchen. Taking steps to create a waste-less kitchen is integral to the life of a contented homemaker.

Blessings,
Payton