"Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces,
I would still plant my apple tree."
- Martin Luther
Apples are just one of the wonderful aspects of the Autumn season. After finding a simple crock pot recipe for Apple Butter in our local community magazine, I went off to find 5lbs of the Fall fruit at the market {around 15 medium sized apples}. The end result was delicious! Once jarred and decorated, this would make a lovely gift too.
Here's my take on the recipe...
Apple Butter
INGREDIENTS
5lbs of apples, peeled, cored and cut into small chunks {I used 15 apples of the "Paula Red" variety}
1/2 cup apple juice
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 cup brown sugar {or to taste}
DIRECTIONS
Combine apples, juice, cinnamon, and nutmeg in crock pot.
Cook on LOW for 10 - 12 hours, stirring occasionally.
Uncover, leaving crock pot lid askew and cook for several hours more, until it reaches your desired consistency. The longer you cook it, the thicker it will become.
Once done cooking, add brown sugar and cook on HIGH for 30 minutes, stirring frequently to avoid burning.
A Little Tip: While you can burn apple butter, you cannot over cook it. So don't be afraid to leave it on a warm setting overnight or break up the cooking process over a couple days in order to get the thickness you're looking for. If it becomes too thick, just add more apple juice to thin it out a bit.
I ended up with 2 pint sized jars of the apple butter.
This recipe will freeze well in plastic containers or follow proper canning procedures to store in glass jars. This website is a fabulous resource for canning and preserving and is chock full of information, recipes and tips.
You can use apple butter as a spread on toast or bread, in a sandwich, or even as an alternative to oil when baking. We like to top a wheel of brie cheese with the apple butter, bake, and then serve with toasted slices of baguette... So yummy!
Our little Oliver has also discovered a love of apples.
And a love of climbing on the table and chairs to reach those apples.
I caught him in the act, the other day...
Say cheese!
...um... I mean apple!
Thanks for stopping by.
This post is part of my blog series, "31 Days of Words to Live By". For the month of October, I will be sharing my favourite quotes and sayings while incorporating them into daily life and art projects.
This series was inspired by The Inspired Room, where you'll find other "31 Days" series among many other wonderful things!
Day 18: Apple Butter
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Mmm. I love apple butter. I would love for you to stop by and link up your recipe to More the Merrier Monday. It lasts through Wednesday so you have plenty of time to link up.
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