Barefoot Contessa's Oven Baked Homemade Applesauce

Submitted by Irish Rose

"Boy, this recipe takes all the work out of making applesauce. I saw Ina Garten make this on one of her shows and knew I definitely would have to try it. Use whatever apple combinations you want."

 

• Ready In: 16mins
• Ingredients: 8
• Yields: 2 1/2 quarts
• Serves: 4-6

ingredients

• 2 large navel oranges, juice and zest of
• 1 lemon, juice and zest of
• 3 lbs granny smith apples (about 6-8 apples)
• 3 lbs sweet red apples (about 6-8 apples)
• 1⁄2 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1⁄2 teaspoon ground allspice

directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Place the zest and juice of the oranges and lemon in a large bowl. Peel, quarter and core the apples (reserving the peel of 2 of the red apples) and toss them in the juice.
3. Pour the apples, reserved apple peel and juice into a nonreactive Dutch oven or enameled iron pot.
4. Add the brown sugar, butter, cinnamon and allspice and cover the pot. Bake for 1 hour or until all the apples are soft.
5. Remove and discard the red apple peel. Mix with a whisk until smooth and serve warm or at room temperature.

Reviews

[frinnes_11137939]

With respect to Irish Rose, I don't see how this recipe takes all the work out of making applesauce. The work, surely, is in the coring, peeling, slicing the apples, which has to be done whether the apples are cooked on the stovetop or in the oven. I just don't get the advantage of using the oven for applesauce, and although the flavor of this recipe was fine (though another time I'd cut the spices by half), I found that when oven-baked the end result was an unappetizing brown color. Personal preference, of course.

 

[Karens Krazy Kitchen]

I have made this many times and I just love it! I saw Ina make it and knew it was right up our alley. I sometimes add fresh cranberries. I use her exact recipe in the summer, but change out the apples for peaches, plums, nectarines... what ever looks best. I have also cut back on the apples and added in dried fruits. Great recipe!

 

[Cassandra S.]

Saw Ina making this the other day on her show and wanted to try it out! I ended up halving the recipe and used two Granny Smith, two Yellow Delicious, and two Pink Lady apples. This recipe is right around 3 or 4 stars. I couldn't really decide. I gave it 4 because it worked, it was easy, tasted good, and made the house smell amazing! Plus, I love Ina's show and cookbooks. However, it did not really taste like a good applesauce to me. It had a candied citron taste to it, reminiscent of candied yams and fruitcake more than applesauce. Not horrible or anything, just unconventional...but worth trying once!