The players:
10 or more apples (I used Fuji apples this time)
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon cloves
1/8 teaspoon salt
Wash a bunch of apples. Don't these look delicious?
Cut off the tops and bottoms, since that makes them easier to peel. Save the trimmings and peels for your compost! I like to put the scrap bowl in an open drawer so it's lower and easier to peel into.
Once they're peeled and cored, enlist your Noble Assistant to chop the apples. Butter knives are strongly recommended (as well as an extra apple or two for him to eat).
Chop and chop until the crockpot is full. Then add the sugar, cinnamon, cloves, and salt. No liquid is needed!
Stir carefully and cover. Cook on High for one hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Then turn down to Low and cook for 9 hours, stirring occasionally, until dark brown.
If there are any lumps, use a hand blender to smooth everything out. If it's not thick enough, cook for an additional hour with the lid off. Pour into a recycled jar or two and refrigerate or freeze. Yum!
(This batch made two jars' worth, but I gave one away before remembering to take a picture.)
So glad you posted this...I have a question. I made apple butter in the crock pot last week (first time ever) I cooked it on low for about 14 hours and it still didn't thicken up very much. Suggestions??? I did end up canning it and we'll still use it, but I was kinda disappointed, I thought it would be thicker. Does it thicken up more after it cools??? Thanks for your help :)
ReplyDeletebtw, yours looks very yummy!
I'm making my second batch of this today. I like adding the sugar last because I use a nice varitey of apples from a basket of blemished ones at the orchard. The first time I made this I canned three 1/2 pint jars. Now I've doubled it. Fuji apples, could explain by my 10 apples did not equal your 10 apples lol
ReplyDeleteVery good recipe!
Deb--glad you tried it! A lot depends on the water content of the apples, but it should thicken up more after it cools. If it's too thin to spread, stir it into your oatmeal or pour on waffles. Mmmm, waffles...
ReplyDeleteRachel--thanks! This could easily be more than 10 apples. Jackjack was eating them as fast as I could peel them. We chopped until the crockpot was full.
I have never made apple butter but it sounds a lot easier than applesauce! I'm going to give it a try. Thanks for the tutorial!
ReplyDelete