Slow Cooker Applesauce

I made applesauce for the first time last year. Yeah, I know, it's SOOO easy what was I waiting for! LOL!! One of the vendors at the Farmer's Market has the most amazing apples every year and I use his apples for applesauce and apple butter, which I also make in the slow cooker! :) I like the fact that you don't have to keep stirring and stirring to prevent sticking and burning like when you cook it on the stovetop. For cinnamon applesauce, tuck a 4 to 6-inch cinnamon stick in with the apples while they cook; remove the cinnamon stick before mashing the apples.

Fill the slow cooker with peeled, cored and quartered apples. Toss with 2 to 3 tablespoons of lemon juice. If the apples seem dry, add a tablespoon or two of water.

Cook on low for 4 to 6 hours until the apples are extremely tender and falling apart. My slow cooker has a "hot spot" so I had to stir the apples part way through. These were done in 4 hours.

Add some sugar to taste, I used about 1/4 cup of sugar this time.

Use a potato masher to mash the apples as fine as you like them.

My slow cooker full of apples yielded 2 pints plus a little over a cup, which Jerry's mom ate warm! :) I put the pints in the freezer after they had cooled down in the fridge but you could also can the hot applesauce following the directions in the Ball Blue Book.