Anna Apple Butter

The Anna apple butter turned out perfectly. It is DELICIOUS! However, it caused me to order a new kitchen devise...an immersion blender.

If you could have seen the methods I had to use to preserve the batch you would have been appalled! After two days of slow cooking, a gooey thick dark brown mass is what you find in the cooker. It smells delicious, tastes good and is ready for the puree step of the recipe. I thought it would be easy to transfer the product to the upright blender and just turn it on PUREE...NO. The mixture would not blend without sending large globs onto me...everyplace but the apron, that is. I had to fill the blender half full, add juice, then blend and transfer to another pot...a process that took a lot of time. The immersion blender will solve THAT problem.

I added apple juice to enable the mix to attain the right consistency...cooked it awhile more and used a water bath method for canning...and, of course, I had given away my canner. A large roasting pan and the deep pasta cooker worked just as well... Result? Ten 1/2 pint jars and four quart sized jars, now stacked in the cupboard...we will eat some and have enough for gifts, too!

Picking apples again, today...this time to use in an applesauce recipe using unpeeled apples. I sure hope my immersion blender arrives in time !

APPLE BUTTER

Fill slow cooker with unpeeled apple chunks. Add 2 or more teaspoons cinnamon, 1/4 tsp. allspice, 1/2 tsp. ground cloves and 2 cups sugar. Add about one cup of apple juice and cook on low setting overnight. Stir and add more apple chunks to fill cooker. Add more sugar. ( I added only one cup ) Also add more spice, to taste. Cook another night. Mix well and add apple juice to make mix suitable for puree.
Use water bath method to can. I processed for ten minutes.