Good Friends’
Crock Pot Applesauce
It couldn’t be easier!
About this recipe
By Claudia Elliott
This recipe has a little backstory.
When I asked Tehachapi residents to submit their favorite recipes for the 1979 edition of The Original Tehachapi Apple Book, two friends submitted the same recipe, Crock Pot Applesauce.
I met Terie Anderson and Nancy Salter through our association with Honey Tree Preschool. Some may recall that the parent coop preschool began using a classroom at the Community Congregational Church before a massive fundraising effort resulted in the preschool building on land at West Park. The preschool functioned for many years before interest reportedly waned and the building became headquarters for Tehachapi Recreation and Parks District.
I used a variety of apples to make this sauce and I think it turned out great.
Scroll down for more photos!
Terie’s daughter Amber and Nancy’s daughter Stephanie were in the same preschool class as my daughter Jennifer.
But back to the applesauce!
When Terie and Nancy submitted identical recipes I decided to call it “Good Friends’ Crock Pot Applesauce.”
You’ll see in the notes below that it came out chunky and I ran part of the sauce through a blender. I served the chunky sauce with pork chops and I used the pureed sauce to make this candy recipe.
Ingredients & instructions
8 to 10 large cooking apples, peeled, cored & chunked
1/2 cup water
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 to 1 cup brown sugar
Put all ingredients into a slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours.
EDITOR’S NOTES: I used ten apples; I had a variety on hand (tart and sweet) and used them all.
I used only a half-cup of brown sugar. I happened to have dark brown sugar on hand; I think golden brown might produce a lighter colored sauce.
After the apples had cooked down I began mashing them but still had pretty large chunks. I decided to keep half the sauce I made “chunky” and pureed the remainder to make smoother applesauce).
Want an easy printable version?
Here the apples are peeled and chunked.
The sugar-spice mixture is poured over the apples.
I mixed the brown sugar, spice and water.
The sauce (left) was a little chunky. I used a blender to puree the sauce (right).
About Terie Anderson and Nancy Salter
Terie Anderson and Nancy Salter lived in Tehachapi in 1979 when they both submitted this recipe to be published in The Original Tehachapi Apple Book. We would appreciate having additional information to include and perhaps photos. CLICK HERE to share information. A postscript… I lost track of Nancy Salter but reconnected with Terie Anderson after this was published. At the time she was living on Camano Island, Washington. Sadly, I learned from her family that she passed away on Dec. 15, 2022, at the age of 70.
