Easy Crockpot Apple Butter

One of my favorite things to do in the fall is to take a day trip down the valley to a couple quaint apple orchards. My mom has been making apple sauce and apple butter every fall for as long as I can remember and I've always relished the memories - and especially heavenly smells - this tradition brings me.

The last couple years we have taken my kids too. And although Sassy got bored on the way there and kept requesting to play Lego Junior on my phone, I bravely held out. I mean, I didn't get technology on short road trips, why should she? I'm hoping she'll develop a grasp for imagination and the ability to love staring at the changing scenery as it flows by. One can dream...

The first farm we usually go to was unexpectedly closed, but thankfully my mom remembered a smaller one that was close by. It was open and currently staffed by the cutest-feistiest-little ol' couple you ever did see and their polite friendly grandson. They let us sample all the apples, their cider and raw honey. We left with three cases of apples, three gallons of fresh cider and tummies full of fruit.

Bubba, ever the goof.

"Me thinks I may have overestimated the size my mouth."

Our view from the car. Not half bad.

Even though I love apple sauce, I love apple butter even more...So other than sheets of apple crisp, I used most my apples for this purpose. The nice lady at the orchard recommending making the butter in a crockpot, and so after searching for recipes on line, I mixed a few together and have been really happy about the result. Now I just need to make some bran muffins to spread it on...

EASY CROCKPOT APPLE BUTTER

• Apples  (Enough peeled, cored and sliced to fill your crockpot to heaping. They will cook down considerably)
• 1 cup granulated Sugar
• 1 cup Brown Sugar
• 1 Tbs Cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp Nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp Cloves
• 1/4 tsp Salt
• 1 Tbs Vanilla extract
• 2 tsp Lemon juice

Yields: Anywhere from 4 to 10 pints depending on apple used and size of crockpot.

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Peel, core and slice apples. Add to crockpot until full. Don't worry about leaving too much room for the sugars, they should filter through the cracks.
2. Mix sugars and spices.
3. Spread over top the apples.
4. Cook on low for 8 to 10 hours. 
5. After a couple hours, stir to evenly coat apples with spice mixture.
6. Check around the 8 hour mark. Depending on the apple you used, adjust the time. If the apples were softer like my Macs, you should be able to use an immersion blender at this point. If they are still too firm to blend, then cook an additional hour or two.
7. Taste for sweetness. If too sour, add an additional 1/2 cup of granulated and brown sugar, or to taste.
8. Stir in the vanilla and lemon juice.
9. Allow to simmer with the lid off for an additional 1 to 2 hours, or until the sauce has reduced to your desired consistency.
10. Spoon into canning jars and freeze with lids off, leaving room for expansion. 
11. Enjoy on baked goods, graham crackers or out of the jar!

If you have a corer-peeler, I highly recommend it. However, if you are using a softer apple, such as a MacIntosh, it may be easier to peel by hand, then use it to core and slice. As I peeled the apples, I piled them into the crockpot so I could get a rough guess on how many I needed.

Make sure your lid will still fit.

After several hours on low, stir to coat.

After pureeing, check for sweetness, adjust accordingly, then add the vanilla and lemon juice. Simmer until reduced to taste.

Spoon into freezer safe jars.

Lil' Peach was super excited about the huge box of apples, and I was excited at how busy they were keeping her, until I realized she was methodically eating her way through the box...

So I faked her out and gave her a box of lego "apples" instead. This is probably the only second the ruse actually worked. Let's just say, nap time soon followed.

So there you have it! It's super easy, and if you have little helpers who can handle a peeler, I say a little child labor never hurt anyone. It will cut your actual prep time down a ton. I hope you are enjoying this beautiful fall as much as I am! 

All is Grace,
Carie