Apple Butter

I love apple butter!  I usually get it when I visit my dad and we go to Central Market in Lancaster, PA, good Amish made stuff. Since we don't get up there nearly often enough and I had a bunch of apples around, I thought I'd try making my own.  Wow, easy and it turned out really good.  It's dark, spicy, flavorful; tastes great on toast or a sandwich with cream cheese.  I found the basic recipe at Pick Your Own and mostly followed it.  You need lots of apple sauce, preferrable homemade, a few spices, a crockpot and time.  That's about it!

Once you've got the apple butter made you'll either need to put it in jelly jars and freeze it or into jelly or quart jars and can it (process it in a hot water bath).  Just be prepared for lots of apple butter and have plenty of jars ready.

Apple Butter

9 quarts of applesauce
2 Tbsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. cloves
1/2 tsp. allspice
4 c. sugar (probably less)

Fill your crockpot to within about 1" of the top with applesauce (you won't use all of it now).  Add the spices and 2 cups of the sugar, stir well.  Turn the crockpot to low and put on the cover, but leave open.  This is one dish you don't want the lid on tight.  I used two chopsticks propped across the top then set the lid on that.  It may spatter so you want the lid on some but leave it open so the water will evaporate.  It will need to cook 8-18 hours, depending on how thick you like it and how your crockpot cooks.  You can give it a stir a few times if you want.  I cooked mine probably close to 18 hours total, started it late in the afternoon and let it cook all night.  In the morning check it; it should have cooked down quite a bit.  Add the rest of the applesauce and 1 cup of sugar.  Let it cook down a few more hours to blend the flavors.  Give it a taste and add the extra cup of sugar if you feel it needs it.  It totally depends on your taste and the type of apples in your applesauce.

At this point your apple butter is done and ready to can/freeze.