Apple Butter

It's that time of year again.....time to make my yearly batch of Apple Butter! This stuff is delicious and so easy to make. (Plus it smells amazing in your house while it cooks!)

I started with 7 pounds of Gala apples which I peeled and cored. And, honestly, that's the hardest part of this whole process. 

Next I placed the apples in a large crock pot (and the peelings and cores in my compost barrel).  In a separate bowl I mixed 1 1/2 cups of sugar, 1 cup of brown sugar, 2 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp nutmeg, 1/4 tsp ground cloves and 1/4 tsp salt. I poured this mixture over the apples and mixed well.

Next, I put the lid on and cooked on low for 10 hours, stirring occasionally.

After 10 hours, I added one tablespoon of vanilla, stirred that in and cooked uncovered on low for two more hours.

Next I used my Cuisinart immersion blender to puree the apples until smooth.

After that, I ladled the apple butter into half-pint jars (which I had heated in a hot water bath) leaving 1/4 inch headspace at the top. I put the lids on and processed in a hot water bath for 10 minutes.

Then I removed the jars and left them on the counter overnight. You'll hear the popping sound for about an hour as the jars seal. 

Then I printed some cute labels and put them on the jars and I was done! 

10 jars of Apple Butter ready to give at Christmas!