This is definately a keeper. I used Golden Delicious apples, and put them through the food processor VERY FINE before I started. This way I didn't have any lumps, and didn't have to mess with hot butter later on. We like really spicy apple butter, so I increased the spices a little, but then added 1/2 tsp. ground allspice. I also only used about 2 cups sugar. Put it on before I went to bed, and then in the morning took the lid off and let it cook another few hours where I could watch it to get the consistancy I wanted. (I checked it by putting a spoonful on a saucer and looking after it got cold to see if there was any water separation.)
This recipe was ok, but I found that the cooking time once the lid was removed needed to be longer. I made one batch leaving the lid off for the suggested one hour and the butter was more like apple sauce. I found some suggestions from an extension service. They said To test for doneness, remove a spoonful and hold it away from
steam for 2 minutes. It is done if the butter remains mounded on the spoon. Another way to determine when the butter is cooked adequately is to spoon a small quantity onto a plate. When a rim of liquid does not separate around the edge of the butter, it is ready for canning. Also in my first batch I reduced the amount of sugar as some suggested. I think this was a mistake too. The second batch was much better using the entire 4 cups.
This is a great recipe. I had no idea it was so easy to make apple butter. I had a lot of apples on my trees this year. I love this recipe but I did try a couple of variations. I used just over one cup of sugar. I liked it better a bit tart. I cut the apples into chunks instead of small pieces and then put them in the crock-pot on high; I would add more apples as they cooked down so my crock-pot was full. I let them cook, covered on high overnight. After they got soft I removed the lid and let them cook down while I was at work (about 6 hours). Since they were in chunks the thinner liquid made them not stick and burn like a thick liquid would have. They reduced down to between 2/3 to ½ of a crock-pot. When I got home I took my immersion blender and blended them up and the thickness was just about perfect. I tried the saucer test for doneness. I put them in my sterilized jars and put them in a hot water bath for 30 minutes. Now I have my Christmas presents ready to go, cheap, fabulous and homemade! It just doesn’t get any easier. I made this with pears also and it was good but not quite as good as the apple. I also tried one batch with unpeeled apples and there is a huge difference. Take the time to peel the apples. Thanks for this recipe. I ended up making about five batches and each batch made about 9 half pints.
Like other users, I found this a bit too sweet... ok, a lot too sweet. I use nice, tart Fuji apples and about a cup of sugar. Also, I find that I have to cook this down on the stove after it comes out of the crock if I want that nice, thick buttery texture, but it's worth it to start it in the crock because it gives it a sort of caramel aftertaste that's hard to get on the stove. Remember: you can burn fruit butter, but you can't overcook it! The longer you cook this stuff, the better it will be: if you get tired of it one night, put it in the fridge and cook it some more the next night! My very best batch ever was cooked over three nights and canned the third.
Another idea: If you make too much, there is a fabulous recipe for Morning Glory Muffins ( http://bread.allrecipes.com/az/morningglorymuffins.asp ) here on AllRecipes that calls for apple butter and is out of this world!
This is excellent. I used 2 cups of sugar and found that to be enough. During the last hour with the lid off the crockpot I used my handy dandy mixer (the kind with one blade that you can use to mix various ingredients in a tall glass) to break up chunks of apple. It gave the apple butter a great smooth texture that I couldn't achieve with the whisk. I made three batches of this apple butter last year to give as gifts and I am back to this recipe to make it again this year. I was curious to see my review of this recipe from last year and discovered that I forgot to write a review! A year late but sincere just the same. I hope you give this a try. It is so easy and you will look like a pro to your family and friends. The more you give this out as gifts the more you will hear people tell you that they have/had a relative who used to make apple butter. Enjoy!!
I replace the sugar with 3/4 c. honey. It's better for you and tastes great.
Terrific, apple butter. I made this in two crocks. One batch with sugar, I cut the sugar down to 2 cups, added more cinnamon,and nutmeg. The other batch I made it sugarless,I used the herb stevia (I grow my own), added white grape juice (unsweeten) for some liquid. Both turned out great. Plan to make this again soon.
An excellent recipe. Well worth the time. I did not cut the sugar, I added 2 more pounds of apples instead. I canned mine in a hot water bath, so I didn't have to put them in the freezer. Thank you for a great recipe.
I halved the recipe to see it I would like it. It was great. My crock pot was almost full with half of the recipe. I could not have made a full recipe. I cut the sugar down by half as others had suggested. Next time I'm going to try putting it on right before bed and letting it cook overnight. I used Jonathan apples. I saw on another site that said Jonathan, Golden Delicious, and Macintosh apples were good choices for apple butter.
