Fall is here and we were lucky to have a really lovely and mild October here in Michigan this year. We are also so blessed to have SO many wonderful Cider Mills in our state! Each one has their own unique recipe for apple cider and donuts. When I was a kid my parents always took us to The Franklin Cider Mill which is a smaller cider mill but very picturesque. I couldn’t wait to see the giant water wheel and watch the presses squishing the apples and watching the apple juices flowing down into the reservoir to be bottled; So I could drink it! There is really nothing better than a freshly pressed glass of apple cider and a hot, crispy donut being eaten outside on a brisk fall day. It’s a Michigan tradition that my husband and I continue with our own daughter. We have traveled all around Michigan to try all the different ciders, donuts, and locally made products. It’s something I look forward to every fall.
Michigan farmers grow MANY different types of apples and I love to try them all. My daughter’s favorite to eat is Honeycrisp and I love Fuji and the Jazz apple I recently tried. The recipe I’m sharing used Macintosh apples from Long Family Farm in Commerce, Michigan less than 8 miles from my house! You can use whatever type of apple you like. This recipe doesn’t use a lot of sugar because of the natural sugars in the cider which I also got from Long’s Farm. This makes about 10 cups of sauce but I always share with my friends and family. You can also freeze the appplesauce for later in the season. This applesauce can be eaten straight, on top of ice cream, over oatmeal, on yogurt or put into pie crusts to make turnovers!
Tools
- Heavy bottomed pot at least 4 quart size
- Sharp knife
- cutting board
- apple corer (optional)
- liquid measuring cup
- measuring spoons
- potato smasher
- peeler**
- Ingredients
- 12-13 apples, peeled
- 1/4 cup of granulated white sugar
- juice of 1/2 lemon
- teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice (or cinnnamon)
- 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg
- 3 cups of apple cider
Recipe
Peel* your apples, and chop into chunks, add all other ingredients to the pot, cook on medium heat on a low boil stirring occasionally until the apples break down into smaller chunks. Use the potato masher to press down any large chunks, (If you like your applesauce smooth then use an immersion blender or cool the sauce and puree in a blender) cool and then refrigerate.
*DELISH TIP 1: Save the apple peels in a bowl of lemon water to make apple peel candy later!!
