Applesauce

With our new Family Fitness Challenge I have been so craving sweets. I have been replacing and hopefully retraining my brain to want fruits and veggies rather than candy. I know that I still have to do all in moderation with some fruits having a lot of fructose. So with all the soon to be dead apples from Christmas I decided to make applesauce. This was a Barefoot Contessa recipe done several years ago and is delightful! Plus it made our house smell all yummy and Martha-ish. If anything it helped my sweet fix. I packaged it in to small containers and taking it for breakfast. I did alter the recipe as it still had too much sugar for me and I wanted to focus on the natural sugars that the fruit has. If you want the original you can go here.

2 Oranges zested and Juiced

1 Lemon zested and Juiced

3 lbs of Granny smith Apples (about 6-8)

3 lbs of Sweet Red Apples (about 6-8)

1/8 cup Brown Sugar

1 Tbs Butter

2 Tsp ground Cinnamon

1/2 tsp fresh Nutmeg

1/8 tsp Cloves

Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Place the zest and juice of the oranges and lemon in a large bowl. Peel, quarter, and core the apples (reserving the peel of 2 of the red apples) and toss them in the juice. Pour the apples, reserved apple peel, and juice into a nonreactive Dutch oven or enameled iron pot. Add the brown sugar, butter, cinnamon, and allspice and cover the pot. Bake for 1 hour, or until all the apples are soft. Remove and discard the red apple peel. Mix with a whisk until smooth, and serve warm or at room temperature.