This past weekend started out a bit on the chilly side, so I wanted to make something warm in my Slow Cooker. I already had a soup simmering on the stove earlier for dinner, so I thought something for a snack or dessert would be perfect. We went apple picking a few weeks ago so we have plenty of apples just waiting to be made into something yummy! There’s nothing like the fresh, flavorful taste of homemade applesauce. This time I added another one of my favorite things to it though. Pumpkin! This Pumpkin Spice Applesauce just might be my family’s new favorite snack!
If you haven’t made applesauce in your slow cooker, then please give it a try! It’s so easy and it frees up some time for you to play with your children or get outdoors for a little while and enjoy some of nature’s beauty instead of watching and stirring it on the stove top. My children (especially my younger 2) love to help me in the kitchen with this. They like to see for themselves how the apples turn into applesauce and they are really happy to have helped make it themselves.
You simply peel, core and chop your favorite apples into large chunks. Add them to your slow cooker along with 1 (15 oz.) can of Pumpkin Puree a little brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, clove and a splash of water. You then give everything a quick stir to make sure everything is blended together.
Let it cook on Low for 8 hours or High for 4 hours and that’s it! I like to mash mine with a potato masher because we like ours a little thicker and on the chunky side, but you can use an immersion blender for a smoother sauce if your family likes it that way.
This applesauce is so good served warm! I will admit that I even have had it with a tiny scoop of vanilla ice cream on top for dessert! Boy, that was good. Usually after we have all had a little for a snack or dessert, I let the remaining applesauce cool and pour it into glass mason jars so it can be stored in the refrigerator or freezer. I find that applesauce freezes very well and I have another batch of this on my to do list for this week! If you love pumpkin this time of year, give this tasty Pumpkin Spice Applesauce recipe a try! It may just become one of your family’s favorite snacks as well!
Ingredients
- 5-6 lbs. fresh Cortland and McIntosh apples (or your favorite baking apples), peeled, cored and cut into chunks
- 1 (15 oz.) can Pumpkin Puree
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 Tbsp. cinnamon
- 1 tsp. nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp. ginger
- 1/4 tsp. clove
- 3/4 cup water
Instructions
- Place the apples in your slow cooker.
- Add the pumpkin puree.
- Sprinkle with the sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and clove.
- Pour in the water.
- Stir so everything is well combined.
- Cook for 4 hours on high or 8 hours on low.
- Uncover, and with a potato masher, mash the applesauce until you get the consistency you want. If you like your applesauce smoother and less chunky, you can use an immersion blender.
- Let the applesauce cool for 30 minutes if you would like to serve it warm, or chill in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve.
- You can always adjust the amount of cinnamon and sugar to your liking too.
- This recipe makes about 10 cups of applesauce.
- Store leftover applesauce in a large mason jar in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
- *You can also freeze the applesauce once it has cooled and store in jars, plastic freezer safe containers or plastic freezer bags that will lay flat to take up less room.
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*Linking up at Feeding Big , The New Mrs. Adventures, Savvy Southern Style, Buns In My Oven, Five Heart Home, Miz Helen’s Country Cottage, Living Well Spending Less, The Best Blog Recipes, Diana Rambles, Foodie Friends Friday, Creative Ramblings, Cooking With Curls, Skip To My Lou, Pint Sized Baker
I do love the flavors of your Applesauce, it looks awesome. Hope you are having a great week and thanks so much for sharing your great post with Full Plate Thursday.
Come Back Soon!
Miz Helen
Miz Helen recently posted…Spicy Apple Butter
Thank you so much! It’s one of our new favorite snacks 🙂
This looks amazing! I cannot wait to try this recipe! Thanks for sharing on Thrifty Thursday!
Lauren Copeland
Life Well Sweetened Blog
http://www.lifewellsweetened.com
Lauren C. recently posted…The Best Sugar Cookie Cutout Dough
Thank so much! I hope you like it Lauren! 🙂
I LOVE this! I have made lots of different versions of applesauce, but never thought to add pumpkin. It screams Fall. Pinned! 🙂
Allison @ Celebrating Sweets recently posted…Easy Graham Cracker Toffee Bark
Thanks Allison! You know, we love pumpkin so much, I can’t believe that I didn’t think of it sooner. It’s definitely a keeper! I hope you like it 🙂