Okay, let’s get one thing out in the open right now: I am definitely proficient in Facebook creeping. Seriously. If you’re on Facebook, I can find you.
This…uh…..talent has come in handy more than once. Recently, I discovered a recipe for making your own apple butter that someone I didn’t know had posted on the status of another person I don’t know…
The point here is, I MADE APPLE BUTTER!
(The recipe is at the very bottom of this post)
S took me to a little orchard on the mountain his dad lives on to buy the apples.
(Jars of honey, jellies, and jams)
(Shelves of apples.)
I bought a bag of red delicious apples. I had…uh… creeped on Facebook that those were a smart choice because they’re softer.
I set out to core and peel the apples:
I quickly discovered that the Pampered Chef tool would not work. The apples were too soft. They fell apart. I peeled, cored, and chopped them by hand.
Once they were ready, I put them in a crock pot with the necessary spices:
I covered these suckers, put it on ‘low’, and let them sit all night.
When I woke up in the morning, I checked them:
They had cooked down considerably. I bumped it up to ‘high’, propped the lid open with a wooden spoon, and let it sit. I checked it throughout the day, stirring occasionally.
I mean, the Facebook comment didn’t exactly mention what to look for, but I thought they should be a little less chunky.
After a while, I came back to find it like this:
It was extremely soft, and after just a little stirring, the apple chunks fell apart even more.
I tried a small spoonful and decided they were done.
I canned the apple butter.
I ended up with 2 small jars, a large jar, and half a large jar that isn’t pictured:
Immediately after finishing the apple butter, I made some biscuits! I hadn’t had biscuits since I stopped eating gluten, but S’s dad gave me a box of gluten free Bisquick a few weeks ago (he had seen it in the store and thought of me).
They were delicious, soft and lovely in every way:
I may or may not have eaten them by the half-dozen.
Don’t judge me.
(MY apple butter on a gluten free biscuit)
Crock Pot Apple Butter
Ingredients:
1 doz apples, peeled, cored, cubed (red delicious and gala recommended)
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup (rounded) brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon (rounded) cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon (rounded) all spice
1. After preparing the apples, toss the apples in the sugar and spices (I did this in the crock pot because I thought it would be easiest)
2. Add the water. Turn the crock pot on Low and let it sit overnight.
3. The next morning, turn the heat on High and prop open with a wooden spoon. Only occasional stirring is required. It cooks down a lot and thickens.
4. (Blending is an option at this stage. I didn’t blend mine and I thought it was plenty smooth) Pour the apple butter into clean canning jars.
That looks amazing.
This looks absolutely delicious.
Thanks! I was really pleased with how it turned out.