Homemade Apple Sauce

I have always wanted to make homemade apple sauce and now I am wondering why it took me so long! It is easy and delicious, and I was able to add all of my favorite spices.  This is a recipe you can really tailor to your taste  (add or eliminate spices, sugar etc.).  The most time consuming part about the recipe is coring and peeling the apples - so if anyone has any tips or secrets I am all ears!

Ingredients:
4 pounds apples, such as McIntosh, Gala or Braeburn
1/4 cup lemon juice (2 lemons)
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon or 1 cinnamon stick
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/8 teaspoon cloves
3 teaspoon dark brown sugar ***

1. Peel, core and slice apples.
2. In a large pot, combine apples, lemon juice and spices in a big pot with 1 1/2 cups of water and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, stirring occasionally, until apples are soft and falling apart; approximately 30 minutes.
3. Mash with potato masher until smooth with small chunks. Add sugar if using.
4. Let cool and store in an airtight container. ENJOY!

*** What is the difference between dark and light brown sugar?

Brown sugar is refined sugar + molasses. Molasses is what gives brown sugar its rich, deeper flavor and makes it more moist.  Dark brown sugar has more molasses and light brown sugar has less.

Most recipes do not specify the different type of brown sugar, but if they do it is because they are trying to achieve a specific taste or flavor in the recipe.  Dark brown sugar brings more a slightly bitter molasses taste - ie Gingerbread, where as light brown sugar is more of a subtle flavor. These two sugars are generally interchangeable so use whatever you have on hand. Make sure to try both in recipes to figure out what you like best!