Air Fryer Burrito

I don’t really enjoy shelf-stable applesauce. It’s usually either liquidy or sugary, and tastes more like processed apple juice than apples. On the other hand, making homemade applesauce can be a chore. It’s a multi-step process of mashing and cooking to achieve soft but flavorful apple mush.

Inspired by Cookie + Kate’s easier method, here’s my low effort applesauce routine:

1. Buy at least three red and three green apples next time you shop for produce. I usually get Honeycrisp or Cosmic crisp for the red, and Granny Smith for the green.
2. When you’re ready to make applesauce, wash and core all of the apples and put the apple chunks in a food processor. Run it briefly to chop them into bits, but not much. I add them in batches of two apples to get more even-sized pieces.
3. Dump all of the apple pieces into a pot. Add 1/3 cup water, one tablespoon of apple cider vinegar, one tablespoon maple syrup, and a teaspoon of cinnamon, and stir it all together. Feel free to change these up to match your preferences.
4. Cover the pot and bring it to a simmer over medium heat. Continue simmering for 15-20 minutes, checking on it and stirring occasionally.
5. Let the applesauce cool, then enjoy! Store the rest in the fridge.

I still need to clean the food processor and pot, unfortunately, but I’m happy to skip peeling, chopping, and mashing. I eat the applesauce by itself as a snack, but also as a yogurt, cottage cheese, or potato pancake topping.