Crockpot Raspberry Applesauce

So last week I was buying produce at Penn-Dutch and looked over the different bags of apples. I saw one bag of Rome apples that were on sale, much cheaper than the Red Delicious or Granny Smith. So I decided to give them a try.

I put them in the kids' lunches Monday, and when they came back, they told me that they were disgusting. I looked at the bag and realized that Rome apples are for baking, not for eating out of hand. Oops. (This wasn't my first mistake while trying to do something frugal - click here for my Frugal Follies.)

So, what to do with the rest of the apples? Making applesauce in the crockpot came to mind. I recently got a new crockpot after the ceramic crock of the old one developed a crack. (Yes, it was a crackpot.) This was the perfect thing to make to break it in!

When I started peeling and dicing the Rome apples, I noticed that their flesh was pink-flecked. That made me start to think... instead of using lemon juice or apple juice, as many recipes specify, why not use my daughter's apple-raspberry juice? (The store was all out of the apple juice concentrate brand that I had a coupon for, so I figured I'd give apple-raspberry a try. It's good!) So I used it. I didn't have quite enough Rome apples, so I threw in a couple of Red Delicious apples I found while cleaning out the pantry for the Eat from the Pantry Challenge, and a couple of Granny Smiths I had bought that day.

After a few hours of cooking, there were still chunks of apples in the crockpot, and I wondered if it would ever simmer down into sauce. But then, almost magically, all the lumps disappeared into lovely, dark pink-colored sauce. Once it cooled down, I tried it - deliciously sweet!

Crockpot Raspberry Applesauce

10 apples, peeled, cored, and diced
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup apple-raspberry juice.

Put all ingredients in the crockpot. Cook on High for 4-5 hours or Low for 8 hours.

Check out Crock Pot Wednesday for more crockpot recipes, Tuesdays at the Table for other recipes, and Works for Me Wednesday for more great tips!