They
say an apple a day keeps the doctor away, so maybe some apple butter
each day keeps the sweet tooth at bay – and the doctor. The term
‘butter’ does not refer to dairy products, but the consistency of the
product.
Apple butter can be purchased in most grocery stores, but be assured
that they do not measure up to the homemade, slow cooker version. This
recipe will make enough to allow you to refrigerate and freeze portions
for future use, and even give some to friends and family. Also, if you
are into canning, this recipe will work well for that.
Homemade Slow Cooker Sweet Apple Butter
2.5kg of sweet apples - peeled, cored and shredded or chopped
(about 16 medium sized apples)
200 g of white sugar (about 1 cup)
200 g of brown sugar (about 1 cup) - add more of each sugar if
recipe is not sweet enough – this will depend on the sweetness of
the apples
3 teaspoons of freshly ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon of ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon of allspice
a pinch or 2 of salt
NOTE: If you prefer, rather than shredding or chopping the
apples, you can use a food process to slice them, as they will be pureed
later anyway. If you choose to shred them, you may not have to puree
them if you are happy with the consistency. Just use a whisk to make
them creamy before removing apple butter from the slow cooker. Also, you
can leave the skin on the apples if you choose, but be sure that you
puree them in the last step so they blend in well. This will add a
darker color to the apple butter.
While preparing the ingredients, start the slow cooker and allow it to
heat up to high with the lid on.
In a medium sized mixing bowl, blend the white and brown sugar, the
cinnamon, the cloves, the allspice and the salt together well. Put the
prepared into the slow cooker and pour the sugar and spice mixture over
them. Be sure to mix everything together very well.
With the lid on the slow cooker, cook the recipe on high heat for about
11 hours. You will need to remove the lid and stir the ingredients from
time to time. As it cooks, the apple butter will darken and start to get
nice and thick.
After 11 hours or so, remove the cover from the slow cooker and stir the
apple butter again. This time, leave the lid off, reduce the heat to
low, and continue to cook for another hour to an hour and a half.
At this point you can make a decision about the texture and consistency
of the apple butter. If you peeled and shredded the apples and are
satisfied with the thickness, just stir them with a whisk and you are
all done with it. If not, you will want puree it in a blender.
Once cooking is complete, you can put the slow cooker apple butter in
containers for refrigerating, freezing or canning. Of course, you will
want to sample some of it very soon. Try it on toast, waffles or
pancakes, add it to pies, cakes and other recipes, ham sandwiches or
even cottage cheese or yogurt.
When purchasing a crockpot, look for one with a removable liner. They
are much easier to clean. If you have a nonremovable liner, however, all is
not lost! Line your crockpot with a cooking bag and you'll have no cleanup
at all. Spray the inside of the liner with cooking spray before you fill it
to make cleanup easier.
140F/60C is the temperature the food needs to reach as quickly as
possible. If you are at home during the cooking times, test the food
temperature after four hours of cooking on LOW - the temp should be at least
140F/60C.
For food safety reasons, it's a good idea to cook on HIGH for the first
hour to quickly bring the temperature up to 140F/60C. Then turn the dial to
LOW and finish cooking.
Experts recommend you do not put frozen foods in the crockpot. All foods
should be defrosted before cooking so the food temperature can reach
140F/60C as soon as possible. However, since none of my family members are
in a high-risk group, I often cook frozen foods in the crockpot. The
informed choice is up to you.
Remove cooked food from the crockpot or liner before you refrigerate the
cooked food. Because the liner is made of such thick material, the food
won't cool down quickly enough to prevent the growth of harmful bacteria.
They
say an apple a day keeps the doctor away, so maybe some apple butter
each day keeps the sweet tooth at bay – and the doctor. The term
‘butter’ does not refer to dairy products, but the consistency of the
product.
