Bring the water to a boil in a large pan, roughly chop apples (don’t peel them, there are vitamins and fiber in there!), and simmer for 15 minutes. Mash with a potato masher or puree in a blender with spices. Notice what’s NOT on the ingredient list – sugar! You won’t miss it though – homemade applesauce is SWEET, not bland like the grocery store kinds. I used Nittany apples; any other sweet and firm variety would work well too (Braeburn, Honeycrisp, York, Cameo).