You just sweeten to taste and add however many red hots suits you. It doesn't affect safety.

Here's a link to Colorado Ext. with the info and lots of apple recipes, some canned some not.

Carol

Here is a link that might be useful: Applesauce with Red Hots

You don't need a recipe, just follow the same method for regular applesauce and then add the candies to taste.

I thought you needed to add lemon juice for acid? I am bwb and want to do applesauce... Ive never done applesauce before.

The only reason you'd add acid is if you're using windfall apples. pH is lower on those and the Bernardin book and new Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving do recommend it as an added fail-safe.

1 1/2 tsp. per pint or 1 tablespoon per quart (lemon juice).

Here you go. ;)

Here is a link that might be useful: NCHFP - How to make and can applesauce

I cook my apples with the skins on - faster prep - and i get a nice color that way, too. Then run them through a Foley food mill into a bowl. Be sure to put those red hots in the bottom of the bowl and they'll dissolve when the hot sauce hits them, then just stir and they're wonderful. Gives a nice shine and sparkle to the sauce. I little bit of maple flavoring is sometimes nice, too, for something different. Be very easy with that. DH's grandmother always made sauce with red hots. We don't know any other way.

Bottom line, ALWAYS TASTE your product before its put in jars. Nothing worse than opening a jar later on, only to find its too hot, bland, salty, or lacks a specific ingredient. Once in sealed jars, nothing will 'undo' the problem, but to tolerate or toss it.

Ok so I just cook the apples chop/mash them up (and a little lemon juice wont hurt..)sweeten, taste, adjust taste as needed and put in jars and BWB for the amount of time listed...... that all? Seems too simple!

Serena

Pretty much that simple. The only thing I'd add is don't let the sauce get too thick. That can lead to air bubbles in the mixture or it might separate during processing.

Carol

Carol,

Are the air bubbles something to be alarmed about? I did a batch of apple butter over the weekend and noticed 2 or 3 jars had a few small air pockets in them.

Alarmed? No. Concerned a bit? Yes, because they shouldn't be there. Air bubbles are an indicator of a product that was too thick or too dry when jarred or one where the air pockets weren't removed before putting on the lids. So the density of it is greater than it should be, heat penetration won't be as effective, and the processing time may be off.

Mark and use those jars first.

Dave

It's less of an issue with apple butter because it's had much of the water driven off and there's lots of sugar (not quite as much as a jam but getting up there.)

Since the standard for a butter is that when done it can mound on a spoon with no liquid seeping around the edges, it's harder to prevent every single air bubble, no matter how religiously you try to remove them. It's the nature of apple butter to be thick.

Carol