Looking for any easy/healthy snack the whole family will enjoy? Look no further friends! Check out this amazing applesauce recipe for a yummy treat that even the pickiest eater will enjoy! (this has been adapted from the Pioneer Woman’s recipe which you can find here!)

Our all natural cinnamon applesauce

Our all natural cinnamon applesauce

Ingredients:
~6 lbs. of apples (roughly 18 med. to large size apples of any variety)
~1 cup apple juice or apple cider – (most apple cider is gluten free too!)
~lemon juice from one lemon
~1/2 cup brown sugar – you can substitute maple syrup for a gluten-free recipe.
~1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

(optional ingredients: nutmeg, allspice)

Delicious cinnamon!

Delicious cinnamon!

Tools:
Apple peeler/corer (if desired – it really speeds things up!)
Knife
Big stock pot
Food Processor

1. Core and chop all apples. We used all Granny Smith’s as that is what we picked at the orchard. I do like the blend of a half and half selection though such as 50% Granny Smith’s – 50% Pink Lady (or other sweet apple).

Peel and core apples

Peel and core apples

2. Add all ingredients to stock pot and cook for 25-30 min on medium. Stir often and taste to make sure you like the sweetness.

All ingredients in the stock pot

All ingredients in the stock pot

3. AFTER the apples are soft and COOLED add in 2 batches to a food processor and pulse until the consistency you like! We left ours a bit chunky!

This makes about 6 cups of fresh applesauce

This makes about 6 cups of fresh applesauce

4. Enjoy by itself or on pancakes, fresh bread, ice cream or anything you can think of!! One other nice thing about this recipe is that it freezes very well! (If your family doesn’t eat it all first!) I love that this can be made into an easy gluten free recipe too!

Sometimes it helps to have special helpers!  (who think apple peels are yarn!)

Sometimes it helps to have special helpers! (who think apple peels are yarn!)

Next up tomorrow in our kitchen tomorrow…….apple pie with Grandma’s pie crust!!! (And hopefully on a post coming up!)

Let us know if you try this recipe out!!

Have a wonderful week friends and don’t forget to enter in our HUGE giveaway that ends tomorrow!! Just click here!

Blessings,

CharlotteCharlotte

Coming next week!!
We are so excited to add a new ‘branch’ to our Spice Grove Designs forest!!
What will it be?
Tune in next week for the big launch!!

The New Branch

You won’t want to miss the HUGE giveaway that’s coming next week too!! We will even have 3 huge winners so you’ll have 3 chances to win!! Yay – we only have to keep the secret for one more week!!

Have a great week friends and we will see you back here for the BIG reveal!!

Blessings,
Charlotte
Charlotte

Delicious pumpkin footballs

Delicious pumpkin footballs

Football season is well under way and so are the traditions at the Spice Grove household! We love our Sunday night ‘pizza picnics,’ which include a blanket on the living room floor while eating pizza and watching the evening game. We also love the yummy treats and smells that fall and football bring to the house! From scenting the house with simmering spices, to favorite recipes made with love, cinnamon is front and center this time of year. One of our favorites is Pumpkin Footballs. (Special thanks to Brenda at STRUCTUREbags for letting us share these with her fans last year!)

I grew up with my Mom making these pumpkin bars frequently because they were gobbled up quickly and are easy and pain-free to make. Since I got married I fashioned them into something we can take to tailgate parties with our friends. Our kiddos love them now too. They love to be in the kitchen helping stir and taste when we make these!

PUMPKIN FOOTBALLS

What you’ll need:
2 cookie sheets with lips on them
1 large bowl
Whisk
Large spoon
Football shapes cookie cutter or knife to cut football shape
Piping bag with tip or small Ziploc bag

BARS
1 ½ cups of applesauce (this originally called for 1 ½ cups of canola oil but we’ve made it a bit healthier!)
29 oz. of pumpkin (make sure it’s pureed pumpkin not pumpkin pie filling)
6 eggs
3 cups of flour
1 ½ tsp. of baking soda
3 tsp. cinnamon
2 ½ cups of sugar
3 tsp. baking powder
¾ tsp. salt
12 oz. chocolate chips

Mix ingredients together. (I like to mix the wet ingredients first and then add the dry ingredients. But the beauty of this recipe is you don’t have to separate them if you don’t have time. I’ve made them both ways and they turn out great either way.) Pour into two greased cookie sheets. Bake for 20-25 minutes at 350 degrees. Let cool and cut into football shapes. Make frosting while cooling.

LACES
6 oz. softened cream cheese
2 tsp. vanilla
3 cups powdered sugar
1 ½ stick of butter or margarine
2 tbsp. cream or milk

Mix frosting ingredients together. Put in a piping bag with a thin tip. (If you don’t have a piping bag simply use a sandwich size Ziploc bag with a tiny hole cut in one corner of it.) Pipe on laces on your cooled football shapes.

pumpkin football Collage

One of my favorite things about this recipe is that these freeze really well and taste just as good out of the freezer as the day you make them. Make up a batch and freeze half for later!

I hope you’ll try our Pumpkin Football Recipe and let us know what your ‘fans’ think!  :)

Have a great weekend friends and enjoy the games!! (and GO BRONCOS!!)

Charlotte

Bio football

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