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Ingredients
- Enough apples to fill your crock-pot or slow-cooker (I filled a 5-quart crock-pot). Use any variety you like. I've used a combination of all different kinds...it doesn't seem to matter and it always tastes amazing.
- 2-3 tsp ground cinnamon
Preparation
Step 1
I don't know about you, but where I live apples are delicious and plentiful in the late-summer and early-fall. As I child I picked apples with my grandparents from their trees and I watched my mom and grandma make apple jelly, apple juice and applesauce, along with all kinds of apple baked goods like pies, cakes and cobblers. Over the years I've made my own applesauce and experimented with lots of ways to use up our fall apples, but it wasn't until I discovered this recipe that I knew my apple-efforts would be redirected. Apple butter is so delicious and it's been the perfect addition to our family's menu: it's sweet and delicious but contains no added sugar, and it's beautifully thick and spreadable so it's a great alternative to fruit jams that can be high in sugar or other sweeteners. My kids love it on toast in the morning, and it's also great on yogurt, ice cream, or even as a condiment to savoury dishes at dinner time. And the best part: it's embarrassingly easy to make in the crock-pot or slow-cooker! I love this recipe and I think you're going to love it too!
To make:
Start by washing your apples in a sink full of cold water. You'll be leaving the peels on, so make sure each apple is nice and clean.
Dry the apples on some kitchen towels and core them, cutting them in halves or quarters. If your apples are quite large, cut in quarters. Because my apples were hand-picked a few had bruises, but in a recipe like this that doesn't matter too much. Don't bother peeling them: this adds to the nutrition factor of this recipe (leaving the peels on adds great fiber) and saves you a ton of time.
Place the apples in the pot of your crock-pot or slow cooker and turn the heat to high. Put the lid on and let the apples cook for about 4 hours, giving it a good stir approximately every hour.
Transfer the apple mixture to your blender (you may have to do this in two batches to avoid spraying piping hot apples all over your kitchen...not that I would know anything about that...) and blend on high speed until the mixture is creamy and perfectly smooth. Make sure you add every last bit to the blender. You'll need the crock-pot again in a minute and it needs to be nice and clean.
Add the pureed mixture back into the crock-pot and stir in the cinnamon.
Let it cook on high for another hour or so to let it thicken, stirring once or twice during that time.
Let the mixture cool slightly at room temperature before adding it to jars or containers, and then store it in the fridge for up to 4 weeks, or in the freezer for even longer!
The yield for this recipe will be slightly different with every batch (simply because of the different varieties of apples you use or the exact cooking temperature of your crock-pot) but a typical yield for my 5-quart crock-pot is about 4-5 cups. And because all it contains is apples and cinnamon, it's a super healthy 0 Weight Watchers Points Plus treat that you're definitely going to want to try!!