Cinnamon Blueberry Applesauce

Summer is officially over. 

No more trips to the lake.

No more hot summer days with watermelon dripping down your chin to help cool you off.

And no more wearing white shoes because you know "THE rule".

I don't even own a pair of white shoes, so I'm good.

We went blueberry picking, so of course I had a bazillion...(or is it a gazillion? I don't remember) of those delicious little blue balls of goodness in my freezer. 

39 cups to be exact.

I remembered seeing applesauce with all different kinds of fruit in the store, so figured I'd use them with this baked applesauce recipe we fell in love with.

It always makes the house smell so good and we like it much better than the store bought stuff.

 

Baked Cinnamon Blueberry Applesauce - serves 6-8

Ingredients

8 large apples (I used about 10 because mine were small and medium ones that we'd bought from the Riverview Farm the day we went blueberry picking and I think they were either Paulared or Ginger Gold. I can't remember)
2 cups blueberries
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions
Preheat oven to 350ºF.
Prepare a 9 X 13-inch baking dish by spraying it with cooking spray.
In a small bowl, combine sugar, cinnamon and vanilla.  Mix well.
Peel, core and cut apples into slices.
Place apples into a large bowl.

Add blueberries.

Pour sugar mixture over apples and toss to coat.

Pour apples and blueberries into prepared baking dish and cover with tin foil.
Bake for 45-60 minutes, or until fruit is tender.

Uncover and use a potato masher to crush or an immersion blender if you like a smoother consistency.

Serve warm or cold.

Add blueberries.

(this is where I forgot to mix the sugar, cinnamon and vanilla together beforehand. It still turned out ok, but I would mix everything together first just to ensure an even coating.)

Uncover and use a potato masher to crush the fruit. OR when your potato masher is still packed somewhere you don't know, use your pastry cutter.

Serve warm or cold. But there's nothing like warm applesauce.

I rate everything I make on a scale of 1-4 with 4 being the best and this Cinnamon Blueberry Applesauce earned 3 1/2 rolling pins.
It was delicious.
It was weird.
Yes, I have to say weird because we all thought so. We each took a bite and thought the flavor was really interesting. We just couldn't pinpoint it.
It sort of tasted like applesauce, but then you tasted the blueberries at the end.
On the plate it reminded us of cranberry sauce at Thanksgiving.
Everyone really liked it and will definitely be making it again.
There's nothing like homemade!

I give you BIG baking hugs and muffins!!