Apple butter. Autumn-in-a-jar, honeyed-cinnamon apple butter.
Let the Edible DIYs continue with a way to put fall's bounty of apples to great use (though this isn't such a bad idea either). To make apple butter, the only necessary ingredient is apples. A lot of them (preferably). Anything else is superfluous - in a good or bad way, depending on what it is. Good = cinnamon, vanilla, honey or other natural flavorings. Bad = cups and cups of added sugar. So unnecessary.And it's a very low-effort recipe that produces wonderful results. In the simplest of terms:Apples cook down in a slow cooker/ crock pot for a few hours, get pureed in a blender and then cook down some more, transforming from applesauce (which is pretty tasty itself - who needs Motts?!) into a thick, smooth, lightly sweet-yet-tart deliciousness that is, in a word, lovely.As I said, this can just be made with apples and apples alone - whatever kind(s) you like - but I decided to add in a little cinnamon and some white honey.Any honey will do, but this Rare Hawaiian Organic White Honey is some special stuff. The best way I can describe it is if velvet were to be a taste and texture, it would be this honey. Ridiculous. Especially eaten off of a spoon. But, I digress...Read on and get the recipe (which is easily vegan - though to make it TRULY vegan, you'll want to omit the honey or replace it with perhaps agave) for Honey Cinnamon Apple Butter.Recipe: Honey Cinnamon Apple ButterWhat You Need
About 5 lbs of apples (I used a combination of granny smith and pink lady this time to get some tartness and sweetness)
1/8-1/4 c honey
1/4-1/2 tbsp cinnamon
a few squeezes of fresh lemon juice
What You Do
Core and slice apples into large chunks, and put into slow cooker/ crock pot; add a couple of squeezes of fresh lemon juice
Cook apples in slow cooker/ crock covered on high for about 3 hours, stirring every 15-30 min or so (it'll help prevent the apples from sticking at the bottom, and keep the heat distributing evenly; note that cooking time will vary depending on how hot your cooker is)
Once the apples are very soft and mash apart easily, transfer the mash into a high-speed blender or a food processor (depending on the size of your appliance, you may need to do this in several batches)
Puree the apples until smooth
Pour the pureed apple back into the slow cooker/ crock and stir in cinnamon and honey, to taste
Cook on medium, covered, for 3-5 hours or until it has reduced to a much thicker consistency; it'll be darker in color as well
Cool and save in jars or other air-tight containers in the fridge for a few weeks, or can to preserve even longer!