Homemade apple sauce

We've finally run out of my homemade apple sauce which I canned back in the fall. I made something like ten quarts from 50 pounds of apples. So today I took a 5 pound bag and made up a few cups of apple sauce just to get us by. Luckily there is an orchard here in Southern AZ that sells apples into February.

First you want to peel the apples. I use a veggie peeler as it's easier then a pairing knife.

Then quarter and core the apples.

Chop them up in to chunks and throw them all into a big heavy bottom pot like a dutch oven.  The size of the pieces doesn't really matter as it will cook down. Add one tablespoon of lemon juice and 1/2 a cup of water. Then let cook on medium heat until the apples can be cut with a spoon or spatula, what ever you are using to stir with.

Here are the cooked apples. Before I blend them up I add in cinnamon. Then I use an immersion blender to blend them smooth. You can also use a food processor or normal blender. You can also leave some chunks of apple if you like. I don't add sugar as apples are sweet and delicious when cooked down and really don't require any added sweetness.

Here's the final product. It was 4 cups of apple sauce but Sofia and I ate two right away.... enjoy!