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Crisp apples cooked with sugar and spice and everything nice!
Chemical X is a combination of cardamom and ginger =)
Three of the 4.8 lbs of apples that went into this batch of apple butter. Most were red delicious. Some were fuji, others granny smith, others golden.
Chunks of apples in my slow-cooker. I remove the core and stem, but not the skin.
Some containers of apple butter. The top container is what I saved from the first batch of oops-butter. The sprinkler-lid came off my cinnamon as I was shaking some in, which resulted in a very dark, very spiced apple butter. I like it, but those with whom I plan to share the apple butter might find it a bit too spicy. Slow-cooker came back out, more apples went in, and tada! The bottom three containers of a closer-to-normal spice/apple ratio.
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The finished product, currently on its way to Canada, Jacksonville, and New Orleans. As you can see in the recipe below, it has preservatives (vinegar and citrus juice) -- it should make it =)
Evil Bitch-Monster of Death's Apple Butter in Slow-Cooker / Blender
Spice mix is estimated and given in ranges. If you don't like a particular spice, leave it out (if you don't like cinnamon, you don't like apple butter -- make apple sauce instead). If you like sweeter apple butter or your apples are really flavorless, add more sugar after the first cooking. If you'll be using a Vitamix or other super-blender, the apples do not need to be cored (but do slice them and take off the stems). If you don't have cider vinegar, leave the vinegar out. Limes can be used in place of lemons (or left out). Fresh and dried ginger have very different flavors, so keep this in mind if you have a preference. Apple skins stay on and get chopped up by the blender.
per 2 lbs sliced, cored apples, use:
3/4 - 1 c. sugar (half or more should be brown or raw sugar, if you have it)
1/2 - 1 tblsp cinnamon, ground (about a rounded 1/2 tblsp)
1/4 - 1/2 tsp cloves, ground
1/4 - 1/2 tsp allspice, ground
1/2 - 1 tblsp grated ginger, fresh (or 1/4 - 1/2 tsp dried)
1/2 tblsp vanilla extract
1/2 - 1 tsp cardamom, ground
1/4 c. apple cider vinegar (optional)
1/2 lemon, sliced or juiced (optional)
Start putting apple pieces into the slow-cooker. After a decent layer of apples, sprinkle/pour spices and other ingredients. If using 4+ lbs of apples, make two or more layers for spice sprinkling. For lemons/limes, if you don't mind digging out skins after cooking, slice/quarter and shove in different places around apples. Otherwise, pour juice over apple layers. Apples may mound over the top, but should stay under the lid. This mound will cook down, and more apples can be added during cooking.
With lid on, cook on high for about an hour (or longer if you need to fit more apples), then turn to low and cook 8 or so hours. Squish and stir the mixture. If apples still seem too firm, cook on low another couple hours.
With lid off, cook on high for 1-2 hours to reduce liquids and make your kitchen smell awesome. Turn slow-cooker off and let sit until apple mixture is cool enough to dig out the lemon/lime skins (sometimes a couple hours).
With a ladle, transfer apple mixture (minus lemon/lime skins) to a blender. This may need to be done in parts -- blend as much as will fit, set aside in another container, blend more. Taste-test the apple butter. If it needs more sugar, stir some in. Once all is blended, return to slow-cooker, stir well, and cook another 4 hours on low with lid on (optional). If you added more sugar during blending, do not skip second cooking.
Cool, store, eat, enjoy!
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