Easy Homemade Chunky Applesauce Recipe | Foodal (2024)

We all have different ideas of what is comforting: familiar movies, certain songs, a big bed piled high with blankets.

When I’m lonely, comfort might come through a friend dropping by. When I’m tired, it’s an afternoon nap. But when I’m feeling overwhelmed or discouraged, or like I miss someone very much, just point me to the kitchen.

Cooking is such a gift, you know? You can walk into the kitchen with a million things on your mind – the client you lost at work, the list of things you have to finish by Monday, the way that long phone call just ended – and grab something off the counter.

Say it’s five apples, crisp and tart and beautifully tangible, something you can hold in your hand in a way that ideas and anxieties and conversations can’t be held.

You can peel them, one long and curly strip after another, watching their bright skins fall into the trash even as your shoulders relax, and focus on your paring knife slicing the exposed flesh rather than focusing on whatever was on your mind a few minutes ago.

I find this type of repetition can be wonderfully soothing: pour the ingredients into a pan, stir the fruit with aromatic warming spices, take a minute or so to blend everything into a sauce.

I add extra cinnamon, and my mind shifts from conflict to the things that bring peace to our lives.

Applesauce in particular is a kind of kitchen comfort. Not only is it simple to make, with few steps and easy-to-find ingredients, it’s delicious as well, like apple pie filling or a more mashed version of Passover charoset.

Warm and fragrant, this version exemplifies a simple concept, that sometimes an hour in the kitchen serves as the very definition of comfort.

I find this to be particularly true when it ends with something good to eat, made with steps that you can follow almost mindlessly – freeing you up to think, pray, sing, meditate, or do nothing else at all, while your hands lead your mind in the very important task of mixing together something sweet and spiced, to be savored spoonful after spoonful.

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Cooking by the Numbers…

Step 1 – Peel and Chop

Peel the apples with a vegetable peeler to easily remove the skin.

If you don’t have an apple corer, use a sharp knife to slice each fruit in half vertically, and then cut each half in two vertically again. Holding each piece in place on your cutting board, slice the core off at an angle.

Chop the peeled fruit into 1-inch cubes.

Step 2 – Combine Ingredients in a Saucepot

In a medium saucepan over low heat, add the apples, sugar, water, lemon, cinnamon, cloves, and salt.

Stirring occasionally, cook until the fruit has softened and turned golden.

Step 3 – Mash

Using a blender, food processor, or potato masher, break down the apples, making sure to keep the consistency chunky.

If you use a blender or food processor, pulse the mixture gradually so you don’t overmix it and end up with a smooth puree.

This sauce can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 7-10 days.