Crock Pot Apple Butter

When we bought our house last year, we had to do a TON of work on the inside. We have started fixing up the yard, which, happily, houses several fruit trees! One of the trees is loaded with apples! Yummy, crispy, tart-sweet ones. (Yes, I know that's probably not the actual variety, but it IS descriptive!)

So I decided on Monday to make some homemade Apple Butter!!

If you have never tried Apple Butter (Wade tried a teeny tiny bit last night, but the idea of it grosses him out. He is weird.) it tastes SO good!! I had mine on a thick slice of homemade bread...... (OK, on TWO slices of homemade bread. I was HUNGRY!)

I put my Apple Butter into these Ziploc container thingys. I have no desire to can things. Please don't try and convince me to try canning. It's like sewing. I just don't want to.

It is ridiculously easy to make this delicious stuff. First, take 5 1/2 pounds of apples- I had to weigh mine on our scale, so first I weighed myself, then held the bag of apples and weighed again. 

Peel, core, and slice them, and throw them in the crock pot. If you are a lucky duck like me, you have one of these awesome apple slicer machine things. They rock!!

Then mix in 2 cups of white sugar, 2 tsp. ground cinnamon, and 1/4 tsp. salt. You can add 1/4 tsp. ground cloves if you'd like. I am not a huge fan, so I didn't. Also, the original recipe called for 4 cups sugar, but I cut it in half and used 2 and it was PLENTY sweet!!

Cook on high for 1 hour, then reduce to low and cook for about 9 hours, stirring occasionally. I used my potato smasher thing to squish the apples as they cooked. After the Apple Butter gets reduced by about half and turns brown, remove the lid and continue cooking for an hour, stirring more frequently. Watch that it doesn't burn at this point. 

I made it smooth by smashing it up with my potato smasher- you could also use a fork or the back of a large serving spoon. Just BE CAREFUL- it gets super hot and if it splatters on you it isn't very nice. Don't ask how I know.

I turned the crock pot off and let the Apple Butter cool, then spooned it into containers. I am quite sure (If such things interest you) you could can the Apple Butter at this point.

Mmmmmmm.... 

I adapted this recipe from allrecipes.com.