Cinnamon Apple Butter

I have this obsession with Apple Butter and I don't like to pay $4 for a jar when they put high fructose corn syrup in it. So I got on the web and searched out how to make the addicting stuff, Pinterest had a wealth of info and I took one of the crockpot recipes out there and made it my own. I hope you enjoy my version of it!

 

Some of the stuff you'll need, I didn't intend on using brown sugar, but it ended up needing it, no worries, i'll list the ingredients later on in my post.

First things first, you'll need to peel, halve and core the apples, I use a melon baller to scoop out the seeds and cut out the ends. Slice the halves in half, so you have 4 quarters, then slice them thinly.

Add a palm full of Cinnamon or Pumpkin Pie spice or even a whole cinnamon stick, I did that with my last batch and it turned out brilliantly.

Next comes the 1/4 cup of apple syrup, if you don't have it that's ok, I just like that it brings out a more intense flavor from the apples, for real appely?(don't think that's a word, but we'll go with it) apple butter

 Next a 1/4 cup of water.

 Dump it in.

 If you want brown sugar go ahead and add it in now, I would recommend that you do put it in(especially if you don't have the syrup). Now give it a good stir.

 Cover with the lid, my crockpot is really old and the lid broke on it, so I use one that is close enough to the original size.

 Set that baby on low and let it go for 10-12 hours, yes I got the amount of time right. It needs a long cooking time for the apples to get caramely and delicious. After the 12 hours or so, the longer the better, brace the lid open with a wooden spoon and let it cook for about 15 minutes more or until most of the liquid has evaporated.

 Doesn't that look amazing and delicious and oh so good?! I put mine into another container, but you can blend it in the crockpot if you like.

 With your hand blender, blend away until smooth, you can blend it to your liking, if you like chunks, then by all means leave it chunky, I like mine pretty smooth and let the blender go for a good long while.

 Pour it into a clean jar.

 Top with a clean lid and set into a pot of boiling water, it needs to be completely submerged and since I don't have any canning equipment I put a towel on the bottom of the pan and bring the water up to a boil, then set the jar inside, being careful not to touch the sides of the pan and/or more jars.

 Let the water with the apple butter in it, boil for 5 minutes.

 Take it out with sterilized tongs(just put them inside the pot of boiling water for a minute or so and use a towel or pot holder so you don't burn yourself and let it cool down on the counter until you hear that lovely little ping, suppress the urge to touch the lid to "make sure" it seals . Since you've canned it it'll last for a few months out of the fridge, not that you want to keep it that long before devouring it!

Cinnamon Apple Butter

4 Apples

1/4 cup Apple syrup(opt.)

1/4 cup water

A palmful Cinnamon or Pumpkin Pie Spice or a 1/2 stick of cinnamon

 1/4 cup packed brown sugar, light or dark whatever you prefer

**see note for adjusted quantities

Peel the apples, slice in half, then core the middle and ends with a melon baller. Slice the halves in half and slice thinly. 

Throw into your crockpot along with the rest of your ingredients and give it a good stir. Let cook on low for 10-12 hours. Once they are looking nice and brown, lift the lid and place a wooden spoon under it and let it cook for an additional 15 minutes until most of the liquid has evaporated. At this point you can taste it to see of it needs a little more sweetener. 

Now blend it with an immersion blender, if you don't have one you can use a regular blender or even a food processor. Place into a clean jar one that's big enough to fit all of the butter in and top with a clean lid. 

Place the jar into a large pot and fill with water until completely submerged, remove the jar and bring the water to a boil, shove towel down to the bottom of pot with the tongs that you are going to use to pull out your jar, leave the tongs in for about a minute, and remove when you put your jar in. Leave the towel you put in on the bottom of the pan and put in your jar(s). Once your jar is fully submerged, bring back up to a boil, once at a rolling boil leave it in for 5 minutes. Remove from water with your tongs and a pot holder or towel and let it sit on the counter until you hear a ping. Resist the urge to press down on the lid. If you don't hear the ping, try putting it back into boiling water for 5 more minutes and let it sit on the counter again. If still no ping and you aren't giving it away you can put it in the fridge and it'll keep for a good two weeks. Heard the ping? It'll stay in you cupboard for months. Happy cooking my friends and remember to keep it homemade! 

** This recipe can be adjusted to whatever quantity you like, I've made 4lbs of apples in two batches since my crockpot is so small. for 2lbs of apples you'll need 1/2 a cup of brown sugar, but still only a 1/4 cup of the apple syrup(if using), half a cup of water and a double palmful of cinnamon or a full stick of cinnamon.