As if on cue, the 1st day of Fall was yesterday and the temperature in southern Utah dropped 20 degrees! My son and I decided to celebrate by finding the biggest apples around and making homemade cinnamon applesauce using my mom’s recipe with a significant modification.
This recipe is perfect for those with ADHD – it has only 2 ingredients, there is very little waiting (great for those with the need for immediate gratification), it is healthy, and snacking while cooking is encouraged!
1st start with as many apples as your largest pot will hold. It doesn’t matter what kind of apples or what size, and you can mix and match! We used red delicious because they were the cheapest and crispiness doesn’t matter since we’re boiling them anyway.
Slice the apples – any kids who can use a knife safely can help with this step. Have a little fun with slicing and dicing like my son did! Sneaking apple slices into your mouth while putting the rest in the pot is perfectly acceptable.
This recipe is perfect for those with ADHD – it has only 2 ingredients, there is very little waiting (great for those with the need for immediate gratification), it is healthy, and snacking while cooking is encouraged!
1st start with as many apples as your largest pot will hold. It doesn’t matter what kind of apples or what size, and you can mix and match! We used red delicious because they were the cheapest and crispiness doesn’t matter since we’re boiling them anyway.
Slice the apples – any kids who can use a knife safely can help with this step. Have a little fun with slicing and dicing like my son did! Sneaking apple slices into your mouth while putting the rest in the pot is perfectly acceptable.
Once they’re in the pot, sprinkle with cinnamon. If you really like cinnamon, add more. If you hate cinnamon, don’t add any. If you have some people in the family who kind of like it, and others who love it, add a medium amount during cooking. When the cinnamon-lovers dish theirs, they can sprinkle more cinnamon on top then.
Fill the pot with water just enough to barely cover the apples, then cover the pot. Bring the water to boiling (be careful the cinnamon water doesn’t boil over!). When the apples are soft and easy to cut through, turn the stove off and let it sit for 20 minutes if you have that much patience. This will allow the cinnamon to soak even more into the apples. Strain the water when you’re ready to process the apples.
Fill the pot with water just enough to barely cover the apples, then cover the pot. Bring the water to boiling (be careful the cinnamon water doesn’t boil over!). When the apples are soft and easy to cut through, turn the stove off and let it sit for 20 minutes if you have that much patience. This will allow the cinnamon to soak even more into the apples. Strain the water when you’re ready to process the apples.
Here is where my recipe varies from my mom’s. We never had the modern convenience of a food processor when I was a kid, so we took turns pushing the boiled apples through a strainer. I have fond memories of this family time together, but it took a very long time, and much of the peel was lost that way. Now, I toss it all into the food processor, blend to a course texture, and pour into a large serving bowl. If you like your applesauce smoother, you can blend longer. If you like your applesauce sweeter, you can add a little sugar during the food processing step (or start with a sweeter apple like pink ladies).
The final step is eating! We like to eat some while it is still warm, and then refrigerate the rest so that our next serving is cold.
If you make this applesauce or your own version of homemade applesauce, go to the Facebook page Nutrition_4_ADHD to post a picture or tweet it at @Nutrition4ADHD.
The final step is eating! We like to eat some while it is still warm, and then refrigerate the rest so that our next serving is cold.
If you make this applesauce or your own version of homemade applesauce, go to the Facebook page Nutrition_4_ADHD to post a picture or tweet it at @Nutrition4ADHD.