The Crocking and Canning of APPLE BUTTER!

Apple butter - a jam made from cooked, spiced apples

Guys, this tutorial is going to make you want to pull out your crock pots to start making this. I literally licked the whole crockpot clean. It is so good! And so very simple with the crock pot. Here is what started this little adventure...

One day on facebook I saw a friend, who has a pear tree, had an excess of pears and was giving them away. Well I immediately offered to take some, not having any idea what I would do with them. As I thought about it more, I realized I could make pear butter, like apple butter but with pears. Moments later I realized what an awesome present that would be for the fourteen (yes, FOURTEEN) hostesses of a tea Ben and I are very blessed to have. All it took then was some pinterest research and the time it takes to peel and chop forty million pears. Seriously, that is the worst part. Unfortunately, it only made 11 jars and I needed 14, so I decided to make a batch of apple butter to finish up the jars. It was fantastic! More than delicious. So I decided to give a "how-to" on how to make some of this delicious spread for yourself. Or as gifts!

What you need:
1 medium sized crockpot
4 (1/2 pint) canning jars
1 large pot
1 (3 lb) bag of granny smith apples
1 1/2-2 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup apple juice
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg

To start, peel your apples and chop them into fairly large chunks (This is the most time consuming. Just think, it's easy from here.) Put them in the crockpot. Top with 1 cup of the brown sugar, apple juice, and spices. Put the crockpot on low and enjoy the smell! When I made this I allowed it to cook overnight. I cooked it on low for 3 hours and then switched it to warm before I went to bed. Basically, it needs to cook for 6-8 hours on low. When the apples are very mushy and have darkened in color they are done! At this point you can taste the apple butter to see if you need more brown sugar or spices. I added another 1/2 cup brown sugar at this point. The next step is purely based on texture. If you want a very smooth apple butter, I would suggest pouring the mixture into a food processor and blending until smooth. If you want something a little chunkier, you can use a hand mixer in the actual crock pot. Once the apple butter is at the consistency you would like scoop it into the jars. Make sure you leave about 1/2 inch from the top rim. Wipe off any apple butter that is on the rim. Place on the lid and screw the rim on. Do not screw the rim on too tightly! Air has to escape in the canning process. Next take your big pot (see mine below), add 4 inches of water, and put on the stove to boil.

When the water is boiling, place cans gently in the pot, cover with the lid, and set your timer to 10 minutes. Once your 10 minutes is done, carefully (I used a whole hand covering oven mit) remove the jars. At this point listen carefully for a popping noise from all the jars. This can take a couple of hours, but mine always pop within the first couple of minutes. If all the jars pop, your canning is done! If you didn't hear all the jars pop, press the top of the jar. If the little bubble can move up and down, your jar is not sealed and you should refrigerate it immediately. I hope this tutorial will show you that anyone can make apple butter. If you have any questions about the process, leave a comment! Thanks.