Crock Pot Apple Butter Recipe

Got a bunch of apples? Here's an easy way to use up the season's finest!

This will take awhile; about 15 hours. I had it all ready in the crock pot at about 9:30 p.m.

You'll need about 10 medium - large apples. I used Cortland. You could probably use any variety or a mixture of what you have on hand.

And a super colossal apple for good luck!

Just kidding about that last part! I don't think you need luck; this recipe is pretty foolproof. This apple was just a giant!

Peel, core and slice up the apples to fill your crock pot. Really pack 'em in there! It's going to cook down quite a bit.

Pour one cup of unsweetened apple juice (mine is from cider pressing) plus two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar over the apples.

Cover and cook on low for about 10 hours.

In the morning it looks like this:

Give it a good stir!

Turn the lid so steam can escape. It will continue to cook down even more.

After 4 hours add a little sugar, and spice, and everything nice!

Stir and cook for one more hour. (In this time you can prepare all the items for canning if you plan to can it like I did.) Then use a blender/food processor/immersion blender to give it an even texture. ( You can skip this step if you'd like it a little more rustic.)

I'm not going to go into too much detail on the canning part, I'm not a pro at it....yet. This was my first solo canning and it worked well for me. I found some good information on this site.

I found these at Target last week in a clearance section! Very helpful!

After the jars were sterilized, I poured the apple butter straight from the blender into the jars. I was able to fill six 8oz jars.

Then put the lids and bands on the jars and process for 15 minutes.

After the water bath take them out and wait for the pops to know they're sealed.

Enjoy on toast, muffins, bagels, as a yogurt mix-in, in sauces for meat, etc.

Crock Pot Apple Butter

Time: 15 hours
Makes: about 6 cups

10 medium - large apples (about 16-17 cups)
1 cup of unsweetened apple juice
2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon of cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice - or mix of nutmeg and cloves (I'm so embarrassed ... seriously why don't I have nutmeg or cloves in my pantry?!?)
1 tablespoon of brown sugar (add more or less to your tastes)

1. Peel, core and cut up apples to fill crock pot.
2. Pour unsweetened apple juice and apple cider vinegar over apples.
3. Cook on low for about 10 hours. (you don't have to precise with the timing)
4. Stir and turn lid so steam can escape. Cook for another 4 hours.
5. Stir in cinnamon, vanilla, spices and brown sugar. Cook for one more hour.
6. Blend to create even texture.
7. Divide into your choice of food storage (canning jars, freezer containers, Tupperware)

Let me know if you have any questions. I'll try to answer them to the best of my knowledge.

Here's a little behind the scenes of the styling! One of the kitties really wanted to help...

P.S. Want some free printable canning labels? Check out my post from earlier this week for some "spread the love" labels.

Homemade Yogurt In Your Crock Pot

I have a new recipe to share with you! Did you know that you can make your own yogurt? Well you can and it's so easy and cost effective! Seriously friends. Two ingredients, about 10 minutes of actual work, and you get to use your crock pot!

Step one:
Pour a half gallon of whole milk into your crock pot and turn it on low.

Set a timer for 2 and a half hours.

Step two:
After the 2.5 hours, turn off and unplug your crock pot.

Set your timer for 3 hours and let it sit there.

Step 3:
After the 3 hours, scoop out about a cup of the milk.

Then whisk in a small container of plain yogurt with active live cultures.

{see notes below about choosing a yogurt}

Step 4:

Wrap the crock pot in a heavy bath towel or two. I put it in the oven so it's out of the way and there are no drafts. Let it incubate for 8-12 hours.

{Goodnight. Sleep tight yogurt!}

After the 8-12 hours, look you made yogurt!

{Gooood morning yogurt!}

Step 5 (optional):
Strain the yogurt. This makes a thicker Greek style yogurt. I used cheesecloth, a strainer and a bowl that the strainer fits in. You can also use a tea towel in place of the cheesecloth.

Ladle your yogurt into the strainer and refrigerate. Check it every so often, until it is a thickness you like. If it got too thick, mix some of the liquid back in. The liquid in the bowl is whey. You can save it if you'd like and use it for other things.

Then you can divvy up your yogurt into individual containers or a big one. I love these little Libbey brand bowls with lids that I found at Target.

Now this isn't the sweetened stuff from the store that has as much sugar as a can of soda. Here's ideas for things you can add: honey, granola, jam, fresh fruit, nuts

{I enjoyed mine with some blueberry jam}

Here's the recipe without all the pictures and some notes:

(I've looked at this recipe so many times online from different places, so I don't know who to attribute it to)

Crock Pot Yogurt

Ingredients

1/2 gallon of whole milk (do not use ultra pasteurized)

1/2 cup or small container of plain yogurt with active live cultures (Check the ingredients. Also try to get something that doesn't have thickeners like pectin. I sometimes have a hard time finding a small container at my grocery stores. It can be any style, I used Greek because that's what I could find at my store. If you make it regularly you can use your homemade yogurt, but after a couple batches you need to get some fresh stuff.)

Directions

Pour the half gallon of whole milk into the crock pot and turn on low for 2.5 hours.

After 2.5 hours, turn off and unplug the crock pot. Let it sit for 3 hours

After the 3 hours, scoop out about a cup of the warm milk. Whisk in the yogurt. Then, pour mixture into the crock pot and stir to combine.

Cover with a thick towel and let incubate for 8-12 hours. 

After 8-12 hours it will be thickened. Divide up into containers and refrigerate.

To make a thicker Greek style yogurt: Place a strainer into a bowl. Line the strainer with cheese cloth or a tea towel. Scoop the yogurt into the strainer and refrigerate checking about every hour until it is a thickness you like.

If you start the process late in the afternoon you can add the yogurt as your starter before you go to bed and then you'll wake up to fresh yogurt!

Enjoy!

Ha! Here's a blooper...

That's what happens when you're holding a spoonful of jam in your non-dominant hand and your heavy camera and lens  in the other (which really needs two hands) looking through the viewfinder not really seeing what you're doing. I thought maybe if I just wiped it up quick you wouldn't see. It's still there!