Apple Butter

I was so excited about this! A recipe for apple butter made in the slow cooker. I have wanted to make this before, but then I didn't. Then apples were 50 cents per pound at Aldi, and I couldn't help myself. I used parts of these two recipes that I found online: http://baking.about.com/od/flavoredbutter1/r/applebutter.htm and http://dianasaurdishes.com/11/apple-butter-recipe-your-grandma-would-be-proud-of/ Mostly I used the second recipe.

Here's my recipe:

Ingredients
1 cup apple cider
3 lbs Granny Smith apples
3 lbs Gala apples
3 lbs Golden Delicious apples
4 tsp cinnamon, plus a little more
1/2 tsp allspice, plus a little more
1/2 dozen Jonagold apples
2 cups sugar

Directions
My slow cooker cooks really hot, so I like to have plenty of liquid in there to keep the food from burning. I added 1 cup apple cider to start things off.

Next I used my awesome apple peeler, slicer, corer to do as many apples (including the peels, I thought that was cool) that I could fit in there.



I sprinkled it with 2 tsp cinnamon and 1/4 tsp allspice. I set it to low and let it go for a while. (I cooked it from 4 pm Wednesday until 9 am Friday.) I don't know how long it had been, but before I went to bed Wednesday night I peeled up some more apples and added them to the Crockpot with an additional 2 tsp cinnamon and 1/4 tsp allspice again. In the morning I added the rest of my Gala, Golden Delicious and Granny Smith apples. I didn't add anything at that point. My mom gave me some apples that afternoon, so I peeled and added them too. I sprinkled on some more cinnamon and allspice, but didn't measure. I let them cook and cook. I thought it was as cooked as it needed to be, so I put a few cups at a time in my blender. (An immersion blender is on my wish list.) I got it as smooth as I could. I tasted it. It was okay. I wanted to keep the sugar to a minimum, but it just didn't taste right. I thought the apple cider would add enough sugar, but it didn't. I added 2 cups of sugar and let it cook overnight again.



It tasted much better with the sugar, so I put it in containers. I got 5 pints! I was so pleased! Ten cups of apple butter for pretty much a little over $4.50. (The cost of the apples, I had everything else.)



I am so happy I made this! The house smelled amazing the whole time it was cooking. I want to make more soon, just to fill the house with the smell. I love to eat this on toast, and I have a cinnamon roll recipe that uses apple butter that I am finally going too try.