Apple Butter

The first time I tried apple butter was when my friend, Rel, introduced it to me in college.  I had been missing out--apple butter is a sweet, tart, tangy and creamy concoction that tastes like fall in a jar and that, surprisingly, is made up of little else other than apples.  You can put it on toast, on sandwiches (recipe to come soon!) in yogurt or cottage cheese.  The recipe for apple butter is fairly easy but takes a really long time in the crockpot so be prepared to put it in early in the day, or leave it over night.  I enjoy my apple butter on the darker side, as the longer it cooks, the sweeter and creamier it becomes.  Mine took 12 hours overall!

What you'll need:

about 6 pounds of apples (ask your farmer's market for less sweet apples--I used a mix of granny smith, jonagold and gala)

1/4 cup sugar (optional and you can leave this out entirely if your apples are sweeter)

1 tablespoon cinnamon

1 crockpot

Start by peeling and coring all of your apples.  Cut them into chunks and pulse them in your food processor until they are almost pureed.  Then, put them all into the crockpot with the cinnamon and heat on high for 3 hours.  After 3 hours, put the mixture back into the food processor or a blender and blend until completely smooth.  Put back into the slow cooker and keep it on low for about 9 hours.  Stir occasionally.  

 

About an hour before the butter is done, taste the butter and add sugar if it isn't sweet enough.  When you've finished cooking, place in cute glass jars, close them, and let them cool down.  Put them straight into the fridge when they've cooled.  You can use an old jam jar or find some pretty jars at Home Goods, TJ Maxx or Amazon.  When you put a ribbon around it, it becomes a perfect fall gift.  Enjoy!