Super Easy, "Healthier" Crockpot Apple Butter: A Fall Favorite!

A few weeks ago, the girls and I visited a local apple orchard to pick apples. We had been reading books about apples and looking at the apple's different parts, so I thought a nice conclusion to our little unit study would be a visit to a place where apples come from (and no, not the grocery store!).

 

We spent about an hour walking among rows and rows of apple trees. We were only allowed to pick from the Red Delicious trees, but there were more than enough apples for our bags to hold. The trees were so low that even my two-year-old could pick them herself although she preferred the ones on the ground.

The owner of the orchard instructed us in proper apple picking etiquette. Just so you know, you hold the branch down with one hand, grab the apple in the other, and twist the apple stem from the branch.

We ended up with a LOT of apples!

 

Unfortunately, none of us like Red Delicious apples; they’re just too mealy in my opinion. Since neither of the girls likes applesauce and I don’t like to waste food, I made apple butter. The weather has been slowly getting cooler, and apple butter is one of my favorite fall foods.

I have made apple butter a few times before using the crockpot, but I couldn’t find my easy-peasy recipe. Not to worry, though, my mom, the super chef, had just made a batch of apple butter using “healthier” ingredients AND the crockpot.

Here’s my mom's delicious, super easy, "healthier," no-peel crockpot apple butter recipe:

Crockpot Apple Butter

14 cups apples, cored & chopped (peel on)

1 ½ cups maple syrup

1 ½ cups brown sugar

1 cup raw sugar (turbinado)

2 T cinnamon

Process apples in the food processor until almost applesauce texture. Pour into a very large bowl. Mix in remaining ingredients; combine thoroughly.

Apple mixture prior to cooking

Pour mixture into crockpot set on highest setting. Let boil. Add water as needed. If cooking overnight, turn crockpot down to lowest setting. When apple butter has cooked down, you can use a hand-held blender for a smoother texture or leave as is. Can apple butter using a hot water bath. {For more information about hot water baths, click here.}

I cooked my apples for 4-5 hours on high. Then, before I went to bed, I turned the crockpot down to the lowest setting and let it cook all night and even on until after lunch the next day. The hardest part was coring and cutting up the apples.

We ate fresh, piping hot apple butter on homemade biscuits that morning. Delicious! You can’t get any more “fall” than homemade apple butter.

Thanks, Mom, for the great recipe!

Do you have a favorite fall recipe?

Keri

 

For comments or questions, contact me at: growinginhisglory@gmail.com

Find Growing in His Glory on Facebook.

I would love to see more of you! If you are encouraged by what you read here and would like to have posts from Growing in His Glory delivered to your inbox, simply click here. Or you can subscribe in a reader of your choice in the right sidebar.

This post may be linked to: The Better Mom Mondays, Monday Mom Musings, Raising Arrows Welcome Home, Teach Me Tuesdays, Domestically Divine Tuesdays, Time-Warp Wife Titus 2Days, Encourage One Another, Top 10 Tuesdays, Loving Our Children Tuesdays, Women Living Well Wednesdays, Raising Homemakers Wednesdays, Works for Me Wednesdays, Beautiful Thursdays, Hearts 4 Home, Faithfully Parenting Fridays