Crockpot Apple Butter

This recipe is easy and delicious and you can make it healthy as well! The hardest part is peeling the apples and chopping the pieces away from the core, but the rest is a breeze!

I used a large crockpot each time I made apple butter (three times now). After I had peeled the apples I just chopped them into funky shapes, just enough to get the core out, and then threw the pieces in the crockpot. There is no reason to slice or dice the apples because once they are cooked they become mush like. The only reason you would slice or dice is to add more work for yourself (and I don't like that idea honestly...peeling is enough for me!).

Makes about 3 pint size canning jars of apple butter.

Ingredients
20-30 apples
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 Tablespoons Blackstrap Molasses
1 Tablespoon vanilla
2-3 Cinnamon Sticks (or you can use 1 Tablespoon of ground cinnamon)

1. Peel and chop the apples
2. In the crockpot put the brown sugar, molasses, vanilla, and cinnamon sticks. Pour the apple chunks on top. Cover with a lid.
3. Cook the apples on low heat. This part will take up to six hours.
4. Stir the contents at least once an hour so you can keep track of their progress. Once the apples are starting to turn to mush they are about done. Cook another 30 minutes to an hour.
5. Remove the pot from the base and refrigerate overnight.
6. Can the mix the following day or store in another container.


Make This Healthy
Don't add the sugar or molasses. Keep the vanilla and cinnamon for flavor. This is best used on apples which are naturally sweet (Fuji) instead of tart apples (Granny Smith).

Notes
~Don't add water! If you do you will end up with a very runny mixture. The apples create their own juice as they cook.

Other Apple Recipes: Apple Breakfast Cake, "Baked" Apple Oatmeal, Grandma Karon's Apple Pie, Crockpot Apple Butter, Fried Apples, Apple Pecan Spice Bread, Apple Oatmeal Spice Drop Cookies, Apple Oatmeal Breakfast Cake, Apple Raisin Bran Muffins, Cinnamon Apple Swirl Bread, Apple Oatmeal Pancakes, Healthy Applesauce Muffins, Apple Pecan Cake, Healthy Crockpot Applesauce.