Fall is apple season and it is wonderful to see all the varieties of apples available. This year I tried a new cooked apple recipe. With so much apples and at really good price, I wanted to try making apple butter. I found a few recipes with different techniques. I combined one that is the simplest to do – a great combination of least effort with most flavour by using a slow cooker. Apple butter is like applesauce but thicker.
List of apple varieties I have used for apple butter:
- Gala
- Red and Golden Delicious
- Mackintosh
- Silken
Each batch of apple butter I made is slightly different since I used different varieties of apples. Here’s the ingredients I used.
- 9 to 10 apples cut into small pieces with the skin on
- 2 cups sugar (add any sweetener you wish)
- 1 tablespoon or lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional if you want a purer apple taste)
- 5 quart slow cooker
- Put all in a slow cooker and turn on High for about 15 minutes. The apples will look watery with the juices. Stir occasionally
- Reduce the heat to minimal and leave it for 8-10 hours (overnight).
- In the morning the apples would be reduced but still chunky.
Tip: Use an immersion blender to puree the cooked apples. Leave some chunky pieces if desired. - Continue the slow cooker until enough moisture has evaporated and the apple butter is thick in consistency (like thicker applesauce).
- Put in container or follow canning procedure if you wish to preserve the apple butter.
Approximate yield: 3 x 250 ml and 2 x 500 ml mason jars
Store using sterilized canning jars and a canning method you prefer. I used the oven at 250 degrees for 10 minutes to dry out the apple butter. Make sure you leave enough room on the top in case the apple butter overflows. I always store in another container for immediate consumption. Let it cool and put in the fridge.
marilou strait 
