I love apples. We are reaching the end of the season here in Upstate NY, but I really don’t think there is a bad time for applesauce, apple pie, apple cobbler, or apple crisp. This year, I had some extra apples and decided to make slow cooker strawberry applesauce with the kiddo. I was really surprised by how easy it was and how well it turned out!
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Ingredients
1 5-lb bag of apples. We used Gala, but you can use any type you’d like depending on how sweet you want your applesauce
1/2 cup water
Quart container of strawberries
1/2 cup sugar – depending on the apple you use, you may want to add a little more or less.
Directions:
Start by peeling the apples. Note: I let my 7-year old do it. This is NOT a great idea. She took like 3 hours to do 3 apples, and then proceeded to peel the skin off of her knuckle.
Wash all of the strawberries and apples and dice them into evenly sized chunks. It doesn’t have to be perfect, but they cook more evenly that way.
(Kind of looks like a fruit salad, doesn’t it?)
Next, dump the apples, strawberries, sugar, cinnamon, and 1/4 cup of water into the slow cooker. Set it on High for 2 hours. Go binge your favorite TV show for a bit!
After an hour, check to see if you’ll need to add more water to your slow cooker strawberry applesauce. If so, add a small amount at a time. You can always add more if necessary, but you can’t take it out if you overdo it.
After two hours, take a taste. Adjust cinnamon, sugar, and water accordingly. Mash or use an immersion blender to eliminate any big chunks. Let cool.
You can totally eat slow cooker strawberry applesauce just like this in a bowl. However, I like to put mine in little squeeze pouches so the kiddo can take them to school for snack. I got the pouches on Amazon and they’re amazing! All you have to do is fill the bottom and zip it up. They’re so easy to use and you can’t beat the convenience of applesauce in a pouch.
I do recommend running your cooled strawberry applesauce through a food processor before using them, though, in case there are a few apple chunks left. You don’t want to clog the spout.
That’s all there is to it. Delicious, as healthy as you want it to be, one and done strawberry applesauce. I think next time I’ll sneak some carrots in there, too. Because the strawberries make it a dark color, you wouldn’t be able to tell it’s got veggies in it!
Do you love apples as much as we do? What is your favorite apple recipe?
rochelle haynes
This looks good and tasty
Jackie
What a delicious way to use apples. I didn’t know it was so easy to make applesauce in the crock pot. I love the idea of adding strawberries.
vickie L Couturier
oh wow,that looks and sounds so good,,i think i can do this one easy,,my little grandson loves his sauces
Veronica Lee
Delish and healthy! This looks amazing!
Abigail Gibson
My sister will appreciate this recipe as she likes to make everything for her family from scratch. She loves to be in the kitchen.