My mother-in-law is so awesome! She is always passing on abundance of fruits and veggies to us! I had every intention of eating two-three apples a day and serving them to my fruit-addicted boys… but we just weren’t making a dent in the multiple pounds of apples sitting on the steps by my kitchen….
So, I decided, we needed to make apple butter! I LOVE apple butter! It is so creamy and yummy. It’s like spreading apple pie onto a piece of bread…. drool….
Let me tell you that I decided to make this apple butter several days ago… Ya, it didn’t happen on the day that I thought it up. Or the day after. Or the day after that. Or the day after that. BUT, it got done! Yay me!
This is the recipe I adapted. Here
I started with a Whole Bunch of Apples.
As soon as I started peeling the apples. Children appeared with hunger in their eyes!
(Can’t you see I am starving to death, MOM?)
(Wait!)
(Don’t Take a picture Mommy!)
(my Hair isn’t perfect!)
Ok… Back to the apples
You must make the apple “naked”. That is the proper term for taking all the skin off.
(according to my 3 year old who just knows these things)
Then dice the apple as finely as you possibly can. This helps cut down on cooking time.
Of course, Dixie Girl, must look pathetic until I “accidentally” drop a few pieces on the floor.
Fill your crock pot up with all your diced apples. I did not measure the apples in cups or pounds or even how many apples I peeled. It is full to about an inch and a half from the top.
Toss out all your peelings….Preferably BEFORE your 18 month old decides to knock them over on the floor!
I added 3 cups of sugar. I think I would do slightly less next time… but it’s still good…
The original recipe calls for two teaspoons of cinnamon. I like cinnamon. So I added a heaping tablespoon.
Dump in the ground cloves.
Add in the salt.
Here’s where I just decided to do my own thing and added about two tablespoons of brown sugar!
I took this picture at the time I turned on the crock pot to prove to myself that I can get things done BEFORE 10:00!!!
(even when pregnant)
Stir up the crock pot and set it on high.
After about five hours of torturous smells of wonderfulness, lift the lid and stir things around.
(I also took the liberty of tasting this murky goodness….Couldn’t help myself)
After around 6-7 hours, stick an immersion blender in the crock pot and puree. If you have no room in your kitchen for such a device (like me) then carefully ladle the apples into a blender and blend until smooth. Then add back to the crock pot for more bubbling.
(NOTE: I did not take pictures of this step or the next… OoopS!)
When the apple butter has thickened, you can then decide how you want to proceed next. If I had any mason jars I would have canned the Butter. But I don’t. I am planning on freezing the apple butter in small freezer bag portions. I needed the mixture to completely cool, so I scrapped it all into a bowl.
I was so nice and saved a bit on the spatula for my sister to taste when she got home.
(I did not take a picture of the gigantic glob that I tasted myself!)
And because one needs a vehicle for the apple butter to get into one’s mouth, I got my new-to-me-and-ever-so-awesome Kitchen Aid mixer out and let it do all the hard work of mixing up home made whole wheat bread!
This is the best part of cooking…. EATING!!!!
Really, this whole process was super easy. You should try it! I think a lot of people don’t attempt to make things like this at home, because they think it would just be too much work or too complicated. The more you cook the easier it is!
(I have my mom to thank for getting me in the kitchen a LOT at a very young age!)
Making things at home is very economical and sooo much more healthy, Not to mention very satisfying! So, what are we gonna cook today?
I’ve done this, and it’s wonderful! We got this new gizmo for our Kitchenaid last year – worth every penny! It’s a meat grinder and a fruit and vegetable strainer. You chop apples in chunks (leave the peel and core). You throw them in a pot with a little bit of water to keep them from sticking. Stir occasionally and let it cook long enough for the apples to get soft (it doesn’t take long). Then, you ladle them into the tray of the gizmo, turn the kitchenaid on, and you get perfect applesauce! It strains out the peel and seeds. Then, you throw it in a pot and add the ingredients for apple butter. We made TONS of applesauce last fall and apple butter. So yum!