Crock-Pot Apple Butter

This apple butter is a little different than what I grew up eating, but it is simply delicious.

The apple cook so long they turn into a spicy, mooshy, spread. mmmm.

And besides, your house smells heavenly for a day.

I can’t remember where I originally found this recipe.

Slow Cooker Apple Butter

yield: 4 pints

5 1/2 lbs of peeled and finely chopped apples (about 16 1/2 cups)

4 cups of sugar

2-3 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground cloves

1/4 tsp salt

1. Place apples in a LARGE bowl.

2. Combine sugar & spices in a separate bowl.

3. Pour over apples & mix.

4. Place in crock pot (it fills my 7 quart)

5. Cook on high 1 hour

6. Turn it to low and cook it for 9-11 more hours

7. Stir occasionally

8. Uncover and cook 1 more hour

9. Whisk until smooth

10. Spoon into freezer containers, leaving 1/2 inch head space

(Its also good to just eat at this point, very yummy on top of oatmeal. Not that I would know. . .)

Crunchy Caramel Apple Pie

Mom and Dad gave me a few quarts of their homemade apple pie filling and I have been looking for good reasons to use it. When they came to visit I considered that a good reason.

So obviously for this recipe I just used a quart of pie filling which greatly simplified things, but I think the yumminess of this pie is in the crunchy topping with caramel. The other change I made was that I used walnuts instead of pecans and sprinkled them on before I baked them and they developed a great roasted flavor that way.

I got this off the Good Morning America website. It was the winner of the 2001 Apple Pie Contest.

Crunchy Carmel Apple Pie

For Pie:

pastry for single crust pie

1/2 cup sugar

3 tablespoons flour

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon salt

6 cups thinly sliced peeled apples

Crumb Topping:

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup quick cooking oats

1/2 cup butter (room temp)

Final Topping:

1/2 cup chopped pecans

1/4 cup caramel ice cream topping

1. Prepare pie dough as directed. Place in pie plate & crimp edge

2. In large mixing bowl stir together sugar, flour, cinnamon, & salt

3. Add apple slices & gently toss until they are coated well

4. Transfer mixture to pie crust

5. For Crumb Topping; stir together brown sugar, flour, and oats

6. Cut in butter until the topping resembles coarse crumbs

7. Sprinkle over pie

8. Cover edges with foil

9. Bake in 375 degree oven for 25 minutes, remove foil, bake an additional 25-30 minutes

10. Remove from oven, sprinkle with nuts & drizzle with caramel

11. Cool on wire rack. Serve warm or room temperature.