Applesauce: Not Just Your Baby's Sauce

Chances are, I say applesauce and you envision the Gerber variety of, well, apple mush. Though I don't want to anger little babies and steal their thunder (or food), the adult uses for applesauce are much more diverse not to mention cooler.

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On first glance, applesauce is "just" apples—either peeled or unpeeled—cooked down with cider or water, sometimes sweetened and/or spiced, and either strained for a more puréed consistency or left chunky. The French call it compote de pommes and eat it as dessert. Germans rock it as apfelmus, and pair it with potato pancakes. Eastern European Jews top blintzes and latkes with it. The Netherlands top fries with applesauce and Swedes use it to top their porridge. Applesauce seems to be quite the ambassador for different cultures. Though it's found stateside as well, its uses seem to be limited to either working as a stand-alone dish for the toothless or, at most, as a trusted side to pork chops and roasts. And though these examples are delicious and easy, they are only one of numerous ways of using the sauce for food and drink.

Applesauce has a lot going for it. It's easy to make at home and its ingredients are neither expensive nor the steps laborious. Store bought applesauce is not a pricey item either and can be readily found. If you opt to source your applesauce from the store bought variety, you will not be without options. You may in fact be riddled with too many! Many supermarkets are packed with a collection of applesauce ranging from traditional, sweeter types to being completely unsweetened. Labels now carry organic applesauce, too, and, natural markets offer the choice of different textures such as puréed or chunky.

Homemade applesauce holds well in the freezer making it an easy go-to ingredient. Whether you make it at home or buy it from a store, having it as a staple will serve you well in a number of ways. 

Keep reading to explore the many uses of applesauce. 

Get Sauced

You can easily transform junior's snack into a delicious adult beverage with the addition of cake flavored vodka and rum to applesauce! 

Click here for a recipe for Applesauce Cake Martini. 

Get Baked

Applesauce is a great stand-in for oils and fats for your baking needs. It'll reduce the calorie count of your baked good while lending to perfectly moist cakes and muffins.  

Click here for a recipe for Chocolate Applesauce Cake.

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