Deborahs Best Crockpot Apple Butter Food

AWARD-WINNING CROCK POT APPLE BUTTER

Steps:

• Place apples in slow cooker in thirds, layering sugar between each layer.
• Add rest of ingredients on top and pack them down as well as you can.
• Cover and cook on high for 1 hour.
• Reduce heat to low. Open and give it a stir. Keep covered and cook 8 hours or until thick and dark brown, stirring occasionally. (You can do this overnight and can in the morning).
• Uncover and cook for the last hour on low.
• If a smoother apple butter is desired, you may puree in blender or food mill.
• Place in sterile jars with lids and process for 10 minutes in hot water bath or you can freeze.
• Note: For more information on canning, you can go to the "Canning Forum" on recipezaar for instructions or to have questions answered.

SLOW COOKER APPLE BUTTER

Steps:

• Place the apples in a slow cooker. In a medium bowl, combine sugars, cinnamon, nutmeg cloves and salt. Pour the mixture over the apples and mix well.
• Cook in slow cooker on low for about 10 hours, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is thickened and dark brown.
• Uncover, stir in vanilla and continue cooking uncovered on low for about 2 hours.
• Use an immersion blender to puree the apple butter until smooth.
• Spoon the mixture into sterile containers, cover and refrigerate for up to two weeks or freeze.
• Serve on breads, muffins, pork chops or just eat it with a spoon.

APPLE BUTTER

Steps:

• Fill Crock-pot 3/4 full with cored and sliced apples.
• Add the remaining ingredients and stir until evenly mixed.
• Cover and cook on low setting overnight or until the butter is of a thick, spreadable consistency.
• Use immersion blender to purée and incorporate skins into the apple butter.
• If apple butter has too much liquid, remove lid and cook on high until thickened. Stir often as butter thickens to prevent scorching.

SLOW COOKER APPLE BUTTER RECIPE

Steps:

• Peel, core and cut the apples into small chips. Put all the ingredients into a slow cooker and stir. Cover and cook on low overnight, about 8 to 10 hours. Remove the cover, stir and taste. Add more spices or sugar, if desired. Continue cooking for a few more hours, uncovered, until some of the liquid is reduced and the butter has cooked down a bit. Pour into sterilized jars and refrigerate.
• Serve over hot biscuits, toast, scones, or just eat it out of the jar if no one is looking!

DEBORAH'S BEST CROCKPOT APPLE BUTTER

Steps:

• Pour 141 oz. of applesauce (3 large containers, leaving 1 for later), apple juice concentrate and spices all into a crockpot, stir. Make a vent by placing two wooden spoons across the top of the crockpot bowl, then put cover on top of wooden spoons. This way the steam can be released and the apples can cook down. (tip- put a towel or cloth around the counter as it might splatter a bit).
• Stir and turn down to low and let simmer overnight (at least 10 hours).
• Stir. By now the applesauce should be brown and reduced a bit. Add the remaining jug of applesauce (47 oz), put cover back on wooden spoons and turn the heat up to High. Let it cook another 4-6 hours. Now the apple butter is complete. If you like it silky smooth, you can take an immersion hand blender and run it through the apple butter, churning it and getting the texture very fine. If that's not preferred, it's completely fine to eat as is.
• Put hot apple butter into sterilized, hot jars (wash and bake them at 225* for 20 minutes) and put lids on. Put in a boiling bath for 10-15 minutes, take out and drain on a rack or thick towel. Test all the tops to make sure they're tightly sealed and don't "pop" when you press down on them. Enjoy!

EASIEST SLOW COOKER APPLE BUTTER

Steps:

• Estimate which slow cooker the drawerful of apples in the fridge will fit into. Note1: Wrinkled apples are not necessarily "bad". Granny Smiths can look nearly new but be mealy and browning under the skin (toss them), while Braeburn and especially Gala apples may look terrible, but the flesh is still unblemished and evenly colored. Cut out any bad spots, and often an apple browning on one side is fine on the other half. Use the other half. A slow cooker will hold this at 180F or higher for the first couple of hours, then at least 140 for a long time after that. After you cook, mill/sieve, season, cook and reduce by a third, there isnt much original apple shape left. Don't be obsessive. :-). Note 2: The flavor is in the peel, the pectin is in the core and the sugar is in the flesh. Don't peel or core the apples, just wash them, remove the stems and loose seeds, then cut out the "flower" parts opposite the stems, there tends to be powdery dirt and mold there.
• re note 2: Wash the apples, quartering most of them. Pick out any loose seeds. Toss the quarters in the slow cooker. Quarter and add the others if it looks like they will fit, otherwise set them aside.
• Set the cooker on high for at least an hour or two.
• Quarter and add any apples that did not fit, forcing them below the surface. Cook on high an additional hour or two. Skip this step if there were no extras.
• Place a food mill over a large bowl and ladle a portion of apples into it. Crank them through using downward force on the crank, reversing now and then to clear the screen. Pick out the seeds as you go. Repeat until all apples have been milled. You can use a sieve, but it will take a while. Discard the flakes of skin, seeds and stringy bits. Clean the mill IMMEDIATELY, the pulp is acidic and will stain the plating and rust any exposed steel.
• Blend the "applesauce" smooth with the stick blender if it makes you feel good. Clean the blender too.
• Dump them back into the slow cooker. Add: 1/4 tsp allspice, 1/8 - 1/4 tsp (scant) cloves, 1/2- 3/4 tsp cinnamon. Stir and taste. Cook on low for 8 - 12 hours. This should taste good with balanced flavors, but not strong. The seasoning will be concentrated as it cooks and you can adjust later. Note on sugar: Most recipes use double to triple the spices, then add somewhere between 1/2 cup to a full cup of sugar PER PINT of pulp. I suspect a lot of this sugar is to to preserve the butter in pre-refrigeration days and to counter the bitter undertaste of the spices. I tend to use less spice and little if any added sugar. You can always add more later.
• Taste and adjust seasoning, remove lid and cook another 2-4 hours. Keep a close watch and stir the thickened/solids at the edges into the rest. The pulp will darken from an over-cinnamoned applesauce color to chocolate or dark chocolate brown.
• Blend smooth with stick blender or that ice-crushing powered daiquiri pitcher on the counter.
• Chill and eat. Great on crepes, good on toast and I'm told even on steak.

CROCK POT APPLE BUTTER

Steps:

• Place apples in a large bowl.
• Combine sugar, cinnamon, cloves and salt.
• Pour over apples and mix well.
• Place in crock pot, cover and cook on high for 1 hour.
• Decrease heat to low; cover and cook on low for 9-11 hours or until thickened and dark brown.
• Stir occasionally.
• Uncover and cook on low for 1 hour longer.
• If desired, whisk until smooth.
• Spoon into freezer containers, leaving 1/2-inch head space.
• Cover and freeze.