Red Hot Cinnamon Applesauce
This recipe was submitted by Karen Eilers from Pacifica, MO.
I have been making this Applesauce at my school as we celebrate Johnny Appleseed Day for the past several years. The Red Hots started as a joke when the director made a mistake and instead of telling us to make sure we bring Cinnamon, she told us to bring the candy form of Cinnamon Red Hots and said that’s what the recipe called for. Most teachers laughed and refused to bring them in to at least try. I however, decided to try it!! I have been making it that way ever since and its become a hit in my house as well. I make it every year in school and tell the kids there is a secret special ingredient which they love and I make it as well for Thanksgiving. Some people are turned off by the color but I tell them to close their eyes and try it and they fall in love. Its not hot and spicy-it just adds more cinnamon flavor and is why you are only adding a cup of sugar to it because the sugar cooks off of the candy! Just proof that If you don’t try something new-you might be missing out on something amazing and that can turn into a tradition!
Ingredients:
10 pounds of Apples (5 pounds of two different types of apples)
1 cup of Sugar
Cinnamon—as much or as little as you like!
1 (6 ounce) box of Cinnamon Red Hot candy
1 cup of water
You will also need:
Crock Pot
Immersion Blender (or potato masher to get the pieces smaller as they cook down)
Directions:
1. Peel and core the apples
2. Break the apples into little pieces and place into crock pot. Get the pieces as small as you can to create a smoother sauce!
3. When the pot is about half way filled—add some cinnamon and about half cup of sugar and mix it with a spoon
4. Fill the rest of the pot with peeled and cored apples broken into small pieces and add the rest of the sugar, cup of water and as much or as little cinnamon as you would like.
5. Let the apples cook down on high for one hour and then add the box of Red Hot candy (yes the whole box!)
6. Stir the Red Hots into the apples and let it all cook down for another 4 hours on high while stirring a few times an hour.
7. After the 4 hours, turn the Crock Pot off and use your Immersion blender to smooth the applesauce to your liking, or smash the apples with your potato masher to your liking. The immersion blender will get it smoother with a few apple clumps left, the potato masher will have bigger apple clumps. The applesauce will be a red color from the Red Hots—don’t be alarmed
8. Let cool and serve-its good hot or cold
