No-Fail Apple Butter
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One great thing about apple butter is that you don't need specific measurements for it to taste amazing! I always find that I never really follow recipes that call for specific number of apples anyway because my slow cooker never seems to match the size of the original recipe, so I decided to make a fool-proof recipe so you can make as much or as little apple butter as you'd like!
Ingredients
  • Enough apples to fill up your slow cooker, any variety would turn out amazing!
  • Ground cinnamon
  • Ground nutmeg
  • Ground cloves
  • Ground ginger
  • Coconut sugar, optional*
  • Water
Instructions
  1. Chop your apples in cubes. I like to dice mine up pretty small so I can fit more in and so it cooks down quicker.
  2. Fill your apples halfway up your slow cooker and add in half of the spices. I like to go heavy on the cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves, but if you like a more neutral taste, adjust to your liking!
  3. Add the rest of your apples to fill the brim of your crockpot and mix in more spices as necessary. You can always add more later if you feel like it needs more once it's cooked down, so do not fret!
  4. Add about ¼ c. of water for every 3 pounds of apples you use to make sure it cooks down without burning the bottom. Go easy on the water if you want a nice, thick apple butter to spread on your toast!
  5. Turn the slow cooker on low, put on the lid, and head on about your day for 6-8 hours (it's pretty lenient, so don't worry about setting a timer for exact timing). If you are making it with an x-large crockpot like me, you can leave it for 12-14 hours.
  6. After this time, mix it around to make sure the bottom is doing okay. The apples should be soft and mash-able with a fork. If not, then wait longer before the next step.
  7. Take out the lid and allow it to cook down and evaporate the liquid so it becomes thick and the consistency of apple butter! This should take another 6-8 hours or 12-14 if you're making a larger volume.
  8. Once your apple butter is the consistency and flavour you like, pour it into any glass container or you can choose to can it with a brand new canning jar. It can keep in the fridge for 1-2 weeks without canning, or you can also freeze in freezer-proof containers and defrost as you need if you don't want to go through the canning process.
  9. Enjoy your apple butter with oatmeal, toast, yogurt, or a fresh baked biscuit!
Notes
*I used ½ cup for an extra-large crock pot worth of apple butter
Recipe by Radiant Rachels at https://radiantrachels.com/no-fail-apple-butter/