Start with lots of apples. The amount of sugar you will use will depend on your preference and the sweetness in the apple you use. The apples I used were not necessarily "cooking apples", but they still made good apple butter.Peel, core and quarter about 12 cups of apples.
Recruit some happy helpers if you can- peeling the apples is the hardest and most complicated part of the whole recipe... and the messiest. :)
Next, I added 6 cups of sugar 4 teaspoons of cinnamon
1/4 plus 1/8 tsp cloves
1/4 plus 1/8 teaspoons of salt
Stir gently to coat all of the apples pieces.
Put them in a large slow cooker. Cook on high for two hours. Reduce heat to low, and let them simmer 8-10 hours (or overnight). Stir periodically. 
Gradually the apples will break down into nice textured apple butter. I suppose different types of apples may cook differently- some harder apples may need to be processed a bit to get to the right consistency. My apples did fine on their own.
When it is finished, you can portion it into freezer containers and freeze. I put mine into glass jars and sealed it with hot melted wax. After the wax solidifies, it will keep in the pantry for... well, I don't know how long because food never lasts very long around here! :)
3 comments:
Oh, Tesa! It looks so good... I wish that I had apples in my fridge right now because I am so anxious to try this! Thanks for sharing- I would be scared to try making apple butter on my own. (it sounds complex to me, but not anymore, yay!)
Your glass jars- I love them. I have a thing for glass canisters/jars. Were they expensive?
Summer,
I am so glad that this helps! It is sooo easy.
I collect glass jars- but I never buy them :)
I have a stash of canning jars that I have kept from jam my Mom/Grandma have made over the years. Also, my favorite brand of peanut butter (Smuckers All Natural) comes in a glass jar with reusable lids. I save them all, and reuse them for storing all kinds of things in my kitchen- and elsewhere!
MMMM! That sounds wonderful. I have never made apple butter, but made tropical counterpart a few times...mango butter. We had to cut our tree down, so I haven't done it any more, but if I find a sale on apples around here, I am definitely going to try your recipe!!!
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