Homemade Apple Butter

I have been doing a lot of experimenting with my new Vitamix blender lately.  Oh my gosh, I love that blender!  One of the recipes that has been on my list to make for a while was apple butter.  Of course you don't need a Vitamix to make apple butter, but it does allow you to skip a step and save a little time.

I went from this:

to this:

to this...

In just four hours!


Here is the recipe:

Apple Butter
Ingredients needed:

1/2 to 3/4 cup apple cider (depending on your cooking method)
6 apples stems removed, quartered with seeds and skins.
2 teaspoons allspice
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Non-Vitamix Instructions:

1.  Peel, core and quarter apples.  Combine apples and 3/4 cup of cider in a large stainless steel saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and boil gently, stirring occasionally, until apples are soft, about 30 minutes.
2. Transfer apple mixture to a food mill or a food processor fitted with a metal blade, and purée just until a uniform texture is achieved.
3. Spray insides of crockpot with cooking spray for easy cleanup. Pour ingredients from Vitamix container into the crockpot. Stir in sugar and spices.
4. Cook 4 hours on high or 8-10 hours on low covered until mixture is dark brown.  Depending on the sweetness of your apples, you might need to stir in a tiny bit more sugar.   Freeze or process for canning any leftovers. Recipe may be multiplied.

If you have a Vitamix or other high powered blender, you would would follow the steps below to prepare the pulp for the crock pot:

1. Place apples and 1/2 cup of cider into the Vitamix container and secure lid.
2. Select Variable 1, turn machine on and quickly increase speed to Variable 5 or 6.  Blend for 10 seconds until chopped. If necessary, use the tamper to press any ingredients into the blades.  Increase speed to Variable 10, then to High. Blend for 1 to 2 minutes until mixture is smooth.

3. Spray insides of crockpot with cooking spray for easy cleanup. (I used aReynolds crock pot liner, cant get easier than that.) Pour ingredients from Vitamix container into the crockpot. Stir in sugar and spices.
4. Cook 4 hours on high or 8-10 hours on low, covered until mixture is dark brown. Depending on the sweetness of your apples, you might need to stir in a tiny bit more sugar.  Freeze or process for canning any leftovers. Recipe may be multiplied.

Of course, I used my new canning supplies to can the apple butter!  

Enjoy!

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