Making applesauce is a Leavitt family tradition. When I was a kid, we would go over to my grandparent's house for the Cowboys vs. 49ers football game and make applesauce. (Can you tell that my Texan Dad and Californian Grandpa chose the entertainment?) We would set up an assembly line and tackle several laundry baskets full of apples.
The preferred Leavitt method is to have at least one person on each stage so that you start cooking right away. Peel first, then cut the apples in half, core & slice. If you want smooth applesauce, then cut thin slices. If you prefer your applesauce to be a little chunky, then cut the slices a bit thicker.
To cook the applesauce, pour 6 cups of water into a stew pot. Fill the pot with apple slices, put it on medium-high heat and stir occasionally. After 20 minutes or so, the apples will cook down and become applesauce. Towards the end of the cooking process, sweeten the applesauce, starting with a half cup of sugar and 1 tsp. ground cinnamon. Depending on the kind of apples you use, you may need to sweeten it some more. We went apple picking at a local farm, so our options were limited to what they had. We used mostly Pippin apples which are on the tart side, so I ended up doubling the sugar and cinnamon for this batch. Growing up, my mom bought McIntosh apples.
Once the applesauce has cooked down to the consistency that you like, take it off the stove and allow it to cool. Serve it warm over ice cream for dessert and then put the rest in the refrigerator and serve it cold for breakfast. It freezes well too, so scoop it into a gallon-sized Ziploc and throw it in the freezer for another day.
I hope you enjoy our family tradition!
Hi Amanda,
Garrett shared the Leavitt Applesauce tradition with my 10 year old son Marcus last Thanksgiving! They really made a process of it just the two of them. It was delicious. Warming share.