Spicy Applesauce Recipe

I toyed with calling this recipe spiced applesauce because it’s full of autumn spices, but it’s actually a little zingy, too! Hence, spicy applesauce. I blame the star aniseeds, personally. They pack a punch!

Applesauce is one of the simplest recipes, and I love it because it uses up even those kind of mealy apples no one wants to eat. I used five large, tart baking apples, but you can use whatever you have on hand. If you’re in America, darn you and your ability to go apple picking! I’m forever jealous to be missing that American autumn ritual. One of these days I’ll be back in Maine in time for it, I swear. 

So you peel and core the apples and chop them up. Place them in a pan so they take up about 3/4 of the room and then add water to fill to 1/4 of the pan. It’s hard to mess this up, which is why I’m giving you barely instructions there. You just need to leave enough room for the apples to bubble up as they’re cooking.

Now, here’s the spice: one (two if you’re daring) star aniseed, a few hunks of cinnamon stick (this is from the Asian market and feels extra authentic but is also really cheap) and 5-7 cloves. Once the apples have broken down and started to look more like applesauce, add the spices and stir them in. Turn the heat down to low and let the applesauce simmer with the spices for 30-40 minutes. Taste and add sugar as needed – I try not to add sugar, but these apples were tart and needed a little help.

When the applesauce is done simmering, fish out the spices and serve with a pinch of grated nutmeg on top. I gave Michael a spoonful this afternoon and he said it tasted like Christmas. I think it tastes exactly like fall, but close enough!