Homemade Applesauce

I went a bit overboard this year with apple picking.  I kept on trying to save apples to use for baking, but then wouldn't think of anything to actually bake, so I made a ton of applesauce.  I would have made more, but I actually ran out of room in my crockpot!

Recipe: Homemade Applesauce
Ingredients:
~6 lbs apples (I used fuji and pink ladies)
3/4 cup apple cider
couple splashes of apple cider vinegar
2 cinnamon sticks
1 star anise
1 tsp whole cloves
6 T white sugar
6 T brown sugar
zest from one orange

Directions:
Peel, core, and roughly chop the apples.
Put the loose spices in a tea ball (used for loose tea).
Toss the apples with the sugar and orange zest, and add to the crockpot.  Tuck the tea ball and cinnamon sticks somewhere in the apples.  Pour the apple cider over top, and add a couple splashes of apple cider vinegar.  Cook on low for 6-8 hours, or until the apples have broken down.  Keep as is if you like it really chunky, or use a potato masher to get a smoother consistency.  You can blend it if you like it really smooth, but I like keeping some texture.  Make sure you remove the spices before blending!

not very appetizing, but I promise it was delicious