I wanted to share a simple yet super delicious recipe that I’ve recently started making since doing the 8 Week Challenge. One of the things I had to cut out was refined sugar as well as honey and maple syrup during the challenge. So how on earth does one go about sweetening things without refined or natural sugars?! I found out about apple butter and I was immediately intrigued. I’d never heard about such a thing and started researching various recipes online. I combined a few different recipes and what I ended up with was divine! It’s so simple as you just throw it all in the slow cooker and leave it either overnight or all day. Set it and forget it!
Before we get to the recipe, you might be asking yourself, “What on earth IS apple butter?” Well, simply put, it is a very concentrated form of apple sauce, that after simmering for a very long time, turns into a dark brown, “butter”-like, spread. The natural sugar in the apples caramelizes over the course of the cooking time and turns the spread into a very sweet and delicious treat! It’s guilt-free as it has no added sugar or preservatives.
This is a great alternative to put on your toast instead of actual butter/peanut butter & jam. I use it mainly in my oatmeal. I’ve stopped adding brown sugar and/or maple syrup and now only use this and no one even noticed a difference! You can use it in your baking as well as your cooking, when you want an extra hint of tarty sweetness!
One tool I wanted to quickly talk about is the Starfrit Rotate Express! I posted this short video below of me peeling my apples to use for the apple butter on instagram and people thought it was so awesome…so I had to share it here! It’s one of those kitchen gadgets that doesn’t cost much and you might think is unnecessary, but seriously, it peels EVERYTHING! And when you are making something like apple butter and need half a bushel of apples or when making mashed potatoes for Christmas dinner, you will WANT THIS! Trust me!
You can purchase one from your local department store or I found them on Amazon.ca for $25 with free shipping! Click here to purchase yours! (Note, I’m not being sponsored to share this with you! I just really love this gadget!)
- 12 Gala or Ambrosia apples, pealed/cored/sliced
- 1 cup apple juice or cider
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1.5 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp allspice
- Pinch of salt
- Place all ingredients into the slow cooker, cover and cook on low for 9-10 hours.
- Around the last hour of cooking, once the apples are dark, use a submersion blender to blend the apples until smooth.
- Continue cooking for another hour or so.
- When cooking is finished, let cool and place in mason jars for storage. Store in refrigerator and/or freezer.
- *Make sure to use a no sugar added juice/cider
- *You can adjust the spices as desired.
Love & Blessings,
