using up the rest of the apples

I needed to use up all those apples, left over from our big picking trip. I knew that we would make applesauce, but was really thinking about apple butter. There was a time when my youngest sister would only eat apple butter on biscuits for breakfast. She used to be the pickiest eater! I read through a few recipes online and decided that it would not be hard and that I could even just wing it.

First, you start with applesauce. To make my applesauce, I peeled, cored, cut up the apples. I added just a bit of water and some cinnamon and let them cook on the stove top for a few hours. You could cook for less time, but I was going to puree them anyway. They were so soft, that as soon as I stirred them, they mushed right into applesauce. I saved some for us to eat as applesauce.


The rest, I put in a crock pot (actually only 3/4 of what you are saving for apple butter gets added at this time). I added maybe just a little shy of 2T of sugar, a sprinkle of ground clovers. I wanted to add a shake of allspice, but couldn't find it in my disheveled spice cabinet. This cooks for 6-8 hours with the lid ajar to allow the steam to escape and the mix to cook down. Then I added the remaining applesauce and another 1 T sugar. This cooks another 3 ish hours, again with the lid ajar.


A good stir at this point gets it pretty close, but I used my immersion blender to get it the rest of the way. I stored it in a glass jar and stuck it in the fridge right next to my last container of orange marmalade.

It totally was begging to be put on a fresh flaky biscuit. I don't think I've ever written about the biscuit recipe that we enjoy most. I will have to work on that one. oh boy, we are going to have to buy more apples!