If your kids like strawberries and applesauce, there’s a very good chance they’ll love this strawberry applesauce recipe!
It’s so quick and easy to make, I never buy store-bought applesauce anymore. Making strawberry applesauce is just as easy as making regular applesauce. It’s delicious and much healthier than factory-made, and it’s a great way to use up apples that are too soft for snacking on anymore.
I always keep a stash of field-picked strawberries in the freezer so I can toss a handful in whenever we have apples to turn into applesauce.
The hooligans love helping with this recipe because they get to work on their cutting skills using real knives.
Similar to how we make banana bread when our bananas go black, this is one of those things I make as soon as our apples start to soften.
Today I decided to hand out some dinner knives, and let the Hooligans cut up the apples.
I sliced the apples first, and had the kids cut the slices up into smaller pieces. To make sure this wasn’t too risky, I tested the sharpness of my knives.
It was all good. The children were very careful. Just look at the concentration on this face! The tongue says it all.
And look at the way this little one is holding the apple while she cuts. She’s 2.5 years old.
This two handed approach was very popular among all three children.
And now, for the recipe:
How to make strawberry-applesauce:
- Peel and core several apples. We used 4 small reds and a large green today. (entertain the troops by attempting to remove the peel in a single twirly strip).
- chop apples into pieces (approx. 2 inch cubes).
- Put pieces in a pot (add frozen berries if you have them) along with a tbsp or two of water, and simmer until soft and mushy.
- Pour off most of the liquid, and with a potato masher, mash until smooth.
- Add sugar to taste.
Mmmmm, mmmm! Wasn’t that easy? Snack-time!!
Jackie is a mom, wife, home daycare provider, and the creative spirit behind Happy Hooligans. She specializes in kids’ crafts and activities, easy recipes, and parenting. She began blogging in 2011, and today, Happy Hooligans inspires more than 2 million parents, caregivers and Early Years Professionals all over the globe.
Valerie @ glitteringmuffins.com
Love simple recipes like those, great job from the kids! Nico also loves cutting food.
happyhooligans
Thanks, Valerie! Being that the Hooligans aren’t my own, I’d never handed out knives before, thinking that might be an invitation for disaster. lol They did really well with them though!
Valerie @ glitteringmuffins.com
I can see that but I noticed when Nico is being a pain if I suggest cooking he calms down and gets focused. Of course, I have explained to him how to act with a knife and the dangers several times. Do I read between the lines that there might be more cooking in the hooligans future? 😉