World's Best Applesauce

Hubby and I went apple picking last weekend, and last night I decided to make one of my all-time faves: Ina Garten's (aka the Barefoot Contessa) Homemade Applesauce. This is really a spectacular recipe. It's a little bit prep-heavy, but then you literally don't do anything else. You barely even have to stir!

It starts out looking like this (which already looks completely yummy if you ask me!)...

And after an hour of ignoring it and doing whatever else your little heart pleases, it looks like this...

And then you just stir it up to whatever consistency you prefer, and you get to eat this...

... and it's so yummy and cozy and comforting!

Here's the recipe - with a couple of adaptations I made.

Homemade Dutch Oven Applesauce

- 8 large apples, peeled, cored, and quartered
- zest and juice of 1 orange
- zest and juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1/4 cup brown sugar (or a little more depending on what kind of sweet/tart balance you want)
- 2 Tbsp. butter
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp. allspice

Combine all ingredients in a large dutch oven. Cover and cook at 400 degrees for 1 hour. Mix with a spoon or a whisk until the sauce reaches your desired consistency.

Oh, and did I mention it goes great with gingerbread?

:)