Put about 3 cups of water into a saucepan and put over high heat until it boils. While this is happening, chop your ingredients.

Prunes: Make sure the pits are out of your prunes (I’ve found them in pitted prunes several times!). Then quarter your prunes. I usually do this first since the prunes take the longest to cook.

Apples: Peel & core your apples, then chop into 1/2 inch cubes (it really doesn’t matter how big the pieces are, but smaller pieces cook down faster). I typically “core” my apple by standing it upright and then cutting the outside of the apple off in about 4 big cuts (and sometimes I whittle it down a bit further from there). I find this massively less annoying than just cutting the apple in half and then trying to cut the core out of individual slices – which bizarrely seems to be the standard way to cut apples?

Add all the fruits to the boiling water (prunes, apples, and raisins if you’re using them).

FYI, I usually throw my ingredients into the water as soon as they’re chopped so that stuff doesn’t accumulate on my cutting board. Don’t add the spices ’til later though.

I’d give it 20 – 30 minutes to cook down over low heat. I don’t put a lid on it so that I can keep an eye on it from time to time. I stir it every 5 minutes or so, but I’ve also forgotten it for 20-30 minutes at a time and its been totally fine. The only thing to watch really is that the water doesn’t get too low. I add a little more water if I feel like it’s getting too thick.

The prunes and apples will start to fall apart. Once the sauce starts to look quite saucy (but still lumpy) it’s probably ready for you to add the spices. Measure them out, dump them in, mix them in thoroughly, and leave on low heat for another 5 minutes or so.

Take it off the heat, let it cool for a bit, and then it’s time to blend. You don’t absolutely need to blend it — it becomes very homogenized as it cooks down. However, if I’m feeding my baby who gags on literally anything and does a phenomenal surprise projectile vomit, I’m going to blend it down. Also, I think it is a bit more approachable for the kids if you blend it. I use an immersion blender and do it right in the sauce pan. You could technically blend it immediately if you were in a rush.

See my note above about not overdoing the sauce and causing an upset tummy.