Slow Cooked Apple Butter
Ingredients:
12 cups chopped, unpeeled apples
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 cup apple cider
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
Directions:
Combine apples and cider in slow cooker. Cover and cook on low 8 hours or until apples are soft.
Puree in food sieve or food mill. Return mixture to pot; add sugar and spices. Cover and cook on low 1 to 2 hours long.
For a thicker apple butter, uncover, and cook on high until desired consistency, stirring occasionally.
Store on refrigerator or pour hot apple butter into hot canning jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Adjust caps for canning. Process in boiling water bath 10 minutes.
Nutrition notes: Applesauce or even whole apples are a great source of pectin, a natural bulking agent. Don't substitute apple juice for applesauce or raw apples. Apple juice tends to work as a natural laxative.
