This apple sauce is so simple to make it's barely a recipe. It's fresh, with no added sugar and delicious warm or cold.
However, I can't stress enough how important the Honey Crisp apples are. You could substitute a honey gold apple or a Macoun ( actually Honey Crisp parents).
The Honey Crisp apple is cultivated variety of apple developed and trade marked at the University of Minnesota. Apparently it has larger cells than other apples, which burst when bitten into thus filling the mouth with juice. But to me the Honey Crisp is just the sweetest apple in the market and that is why there is no need to add sugar to this applesauce recipe.
I don’t usually add anything to this recipe, in fact, I often make it with out the cherries! But if you are going to serve it over ice-cream then the Calvados brandy is a good addition. Adding the shredded carrots makes the applesauce a great side dish for pork, chicken or the holiday turkey. The raisins, cinnamon or vanilla bean are great additions when serving it with yogurt, or cottage cheese or, when serving it warmed with a bit of cream fresh.
Cherry Applesauce
¼ cup apple cider or water
5 lbs of Honey Crisp apples cored, peeled and quartered
½ lb ripe cherries pitted and cut in half
Other add in options – you can add one of these to change up the flavor . 1/4 cup Calvados brandy (instead of cider), in the last hour you can add one of these - ½ cup raisins, ½ teaspoon cinnamon, 1 cup raw shredded carrots or 1 slit open whole vanilla bean.
Add the cider or water to the slow cooker. Add the apples to the slow-cooker and set timer to high for 4 hours. In the last hour take a fork and mash the apples to your desired lumpiness then add the cherries. When the time is up you can serve the apple sauce warm with chicken or pork or over ice-cream. If you are not serving it immediately then put the applesauce into a clean container and store in the refrigerator. It will keep for several days. You can also freeze it in an airtight container or freezer bag for a couple of months.