Crockpot Apple Butter

My grandmother was a baker - not by profession, but by habit. She was a country woman at heart and she baked a few pies every day either she needed to or not.

I all the time loved her pies, but I indeed miss her apple dumplings. To me, they were the ultimate comfort food, and a mighty good morning meal with some milk poured over them! She also participated in production apple butter the old-fashioned way with a group of friends, cooking it all day in a huge black kettle and then canning it for the winter. In her later years, she began production her apple butter in a crockpot. All of the flavor, none of the hassle.

Crockpot

I have carried on the apple butter tradition -the crockpot version, not the limited House on the Prairie version. It takes two days in a crockpot, so plan it on a weekend if you work away from home during the week, but it doesn't want much effort. I freeze mine in canning jars, but you could freeze it in plastic containers or can it and store it on a shelf. It's not hard at all, so if you're finding for a good way to bring home the taste of fall and wow your friends with your domestic abilities, then try this apple butter recipe: 

Crockpot Apple Butter

4 c. Sugar ( I use brown sugar or succanat)

8 c. Cooked apples

1/2 c. Vinegar

2 tsp. Cinnamon

1/2 tsp. Cloves

1/2 tsp. Nutmeg
 
Wash, peel and slice apples thin. Pack into crockpot until full. Add only adequate water to keep from sticking to the bottom. Cook all day, covered on low; that night, add 4 cups of sugar to 8 cups of cooked apples (adjust sugar if less than 8 cups). Add 1/2 cup vinegar; stir well and cook all night, covered on low. The next morning, add spices. Cook, uncovered, on high for 3 hours. Fill jars and freeze them when cooled to room temperature, or fill jars and seal, if canning.
 
Yum! The excellent fall bread-spread!

Crockpot Apple Butter

presto 6 quart stainless steel pressure cooker all clad masterche'f 2 7 piece cookware set