Vanilla applesauce, made simple

Store bought applesauce is usually sweetened well beyond what the apples need, and this version corrects that simply. It is 5 ingredients and about 20 minutes. Warm, soft, faintly vanilla, it works at breakfast, as a snack, or as the thing that makes a plain meal feel cared for.

Apples are a source of soluble fiber and pectin, a gentle, gel forming fiber that feeds the beneficial bacteria in the gut and supports steady digestion, part of building a calmer gut. Cooking the apples soft makes that fiber easy on a sensitive system. The honey rounds the flavor without taking it past what the fruit already brings.

These are whole apples, cooked down with a little care, not something poured from a jar. Spoon it warm into a bowl and take a breath of the vanilla before you eat. The small attention you bring to a plain food is part of how it serves you.

Ingredients

• 4 apples, peeled and chopped
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• 1 teaspoon alcohol-free vanilla (or 1/4 teaspoon vanilla powder)

Method

Put the apples, honey, water, coconut oil, and vanilla in a saucepan over medium heat. Simmer, stirring now and then, until the apples soften all the way through, about 15 to 20 minutes.

Blend the softened apples smooth with a blender or an immersion blender. For a more rustic texture, mash by hand and leave some pieces. Serve warm, or chill it and keep it in the refrigerator.

A note on the vanilla: extract is alcohol-based. Some elimination-phase interpretations allow it only when fully cooked in, or call for alcohol-free vanilla powder instead. Check this against ARM's reintroduction chart before you make it.

Instant Pot variation

Add the apples, honey, water, and coconut oil to the pot and stir the vanilla in. Pressure cook on high for about 4 to 5 minutes, then let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes before opening. Blend or mash to the texture you want. These times are converted from the stovetop method and not re-tested, so treat them as a starting point.

*Adapted from a-clean-plate*