Cooking With Coupons: Applesauce

Cooking With Coupons

Applesauce

If your family is anything like mine, applesauce is a must-have staple in the pantry. Applesauce eaten plain is clearly a family favorite, but I also love to add applesauce to a variety of family recipes. And, did you know that unsweetened applesauce can substitute for oil in most recipes to cut down on fat; simply use applesauce in place of up to half of the oil called for in your recipe. For example, if the recipe calls for 1/2 cup of oil, use 1/4 cup oil and 1/4 cup applesauce. Remember that fat plays an important role in baking, so don’t substitute all the fats for applesauce. Here are a few family-favorite recipes from our applesauce-loving family:

Spiced Applesauce Muffins

¾ cup Oil
1 cup Sugar
½ cup Applesauce
2 Eggs

1 ½ cups Flour
1 teaspoon Allspice
½ teaspoon Cinnamon
½ teaspoon Nutmeg
¾ teaspoon Salt
½ teaspoon Baking Powder
½ teaspoon Baking Soda

Topping:
¼ teaspoon Cinnamon
¼ teaspoon Allspice

Spiced Applesauce Muffins

¼ teaspoon Nutmeg
2 tablespoons Sugar
½ cup Chopped Pecans or Walnuts (Optional)

Mix all ingredients together and fill lined muffin cups ¾ full. Sprinkle generously with topping mixture. Bake at 400 degrees for 14-17 minutes until golden brown or until toothpick comes out clean. Let muffins cool and store in an airtight container. Makes 12 muffins.


Cracked Pepper & Applesauce Shredded Pork Sandwiches

3 pounds Lean & Trimmed Boneless Pork Ribs
1 (18 ounces) bottle Spicy Brown Sugar Barbeque Sauce (I like Kraft Thick & Spicy)
1 cup Applesauce
1 cup Apple Juice
Cracked Black Pepper, to taste

Pre-brown pork ribs on high until almost burned. In a slow cooker combine barbeque sauce, applesauce and apple juice. Add ribs and cook on high for four hours or low for eight hours until meat easily shreds. After ribs are cooked remove from slow cooker.  Empty sauce mixture into a medium sauce pan and simmer on medium high for 10 minutes or until sauce thickens. While sauce is reducing, place cooked ribs back in slow cooker and shred.  Add thickened sauce to shredded pork, season generously with cracked black pepper and serve warm on rolls.

Applesauce Christmas Ornaments – (Smells good year after year)
¾ cup Applesauce
1 cup Cinnamon (Buy at most supercenters or dollar stores for $0.50 per 2 oz.)
2 tablespoon School Glue (Optional)
1 tablespoon Allspice (Optional)

Makes (9) 3-inch ornaments

Cinnamon Applesauce Christmas Ornaments

Combine all ingredients and knead until a smooth dough forms.  If dough is too sticky add more cinnamon.  Roll dough on a cinnamon dusted surface to ¼-inch thickness. Cut dough with cookie cutters and make a hole with a straw for hanging with ribbon. Transfer to a sheet pan to dry for three to four days, turning once every day.  For faster drying bake on a lined cookie sheet at 170 degrees for three to four hours.  When dry, decorate with fabric or craft paint if desired and hang with ribbon. Store in airtight container for use year after year.

Applesauce is certainly an essential “stock up” item in my home.  If you love applesauce like I do, try these great recipes and use applesauce in a whole new way!