This Fall I have definitely been on the apple train! I feel that all of our local BC apples are just that much more sweet/sour and crispy this year. I love buying big bags of apples each fall, and aside from eating them, using them in cooking (fall salad coming soon) and baking (here). I also usually make a giant pot of apple sauce that I freeze in small portioned containers and eat or bake with over the winter and early spring.
This year I decided to make Spiced Apple Butter instead of apple sauce. Apple Butter is new to me in the last few years. My Mom regularly spends parts of her winters in California and visited an amazing apple orchard, at Oak Tree Village in California last winter. She brought a jar of their apple butter home to Vancouver for me (she also tried their fresh pressed apple cider and said it was amazing!). I wasn't sure how to eat the apple butter at first, so I took a spoon and headed straight to the jar. Needless to stay I had a hard time stopping. The apple butter was velvety smooth and perfectly spiced with all of the warm, cozy fall spices. It was sweeter than regular apple sauce, and very rich. Not surprising, as apple butter is actually apple sauce cooked low and slow for 8+ hours until all of the natural sweetness in the apples blooms, and the broken down apples reduce to create a smooth, silky textured sauce.
After trying a few recipe tests to re-create the fabulous apple butter from Oak Tree Village, I gifted a few jars to a few friends and my Mom. As apple butter is not well known in this part of Canada, everyone I gave a jar to asked me how to use it. In case you are wondering the same thing, I thought I'd give you some ideas:
* mix 1 tablespoon of apple butter into Greek yogurt for breakfast or a snack
* use as a sweetener - cakes, granola, cookies, sauces, baking (anything you would use apple sauce as a sugar replacement in)
* pork chops or pork tenderloin - pork + apples is a perfect complement
* mix 1 teaspoon into to fall salad dressings (be mindful that the warm spices in the apple butter mix with your salad ingredients)
* drizzle or brush on top of roasted acorn or other winter squash
* spread on toast
* eat straight out of the jar like I did!
To cook this Spiced Apple Butter recipe, I used a slow cooker instead of the stove. Using the slow cooker to reduce the apples makes this a very simple recipe, no pots or time at the stove required, all you have to do is some slicing at the start and then the slow cooker does all the work for you. If you do not have a slow cooker, you could try a dutch oven on low heat, but I would keep checking the apples regularly.
I hope you give this Fall Spiced Apple Butter a try - let me know what you think in the comments below, I'd love to hear from you, or post your pictures on Instagram at #mykuratedlife.
Cheers to apple season,
Krista xo
Amazing Slow-Cooker Apple Butter
makes 7 - 8 cups
Ingredients
6 pounds apples, cored and sliced 1" thick (I used a combo of Macintosh, Honey Crisp and Granny Smith for a bit of tartness)
1 1/2 cups brown sugar (this can be adjusted depending on taste and the sweetness of your apples)
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground clove
1-2 tablespoons lemon juice, fresh (this will vary depending on your apples) OR substitute with 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar for a bit of extra tanginess
1 star anise pod, whole
1/4 teaspoon salt
Method
Place all ingredients (apple slices, sugar, cinnamon, clove, lemon juice (or apple cider vinegar), star anise pod and salt) into a slow cooker. Place on low heat, cover and cook for 8 hours (See *Recipe Note below about star anise pod).
After 8 hours, remove lid (apples will have broken down and look like image below) and the star anise pod if you did not take it out after the first hour (see Recipe Note below). Using a potato masher, mash apples until they reach a slightly chunky consistency.
Cook on low for 1.5 - 2 additional hours with the lid off so that any remaining liquid evaporates.
Allow mixture to cool slightly, then purée in a high speed blender (I used a Vitamix) or in a food processor until you have a rich, silky apple butter. Be very careful when blending hot ingredients as the pressure can sometimes force the lid to blow off. If using a Vitamix, take off the top knob of the jug and place a folded dish towel over the opening. In a food processor, remove the pour spout lid and hold a folded dish towel over the opening to allow the hot air out.
Pour into jars and refrigerate or freeze if using later or gifting. Apple Butter will last in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 weeks.
Recipe Notes:
*Star Anise Pod - I happen to love the black licorice like flavour of star anise, however many can find it over powering. I leave the star anise pod in the slow cooker for the first 8 hours of cooking. If you would like less licorice flavour in your apple butter, remove the star anise pod from the slower cooker after the first hour. Your finished apple butter will have a milder, more spice balanced flavour.
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