Equipment: A crock pot, preferably a larger size. Mine is 5 quarts Food mill Cutting board large knife for chopping Paring knife for coring Measuring cup and tablespoon Large spoon Cut and core the apples and place in the crock pot. Leave the skins on. A glass of apple cider while you work is always nice too.

Add the apple cider and cook for 10 to 18 hours on low or 6 to 8 hours on high.

You can see from the permanent stains on my crock pot that I have cooked many batches of apple butter in it over the years. When I have all the apples in my crock pot the lid will not sit on the edge of the crock. Don't worry, the apples cook down.

When your apples are finished cooking, they will need to be put through a food mill.

The skins you left on for cooking will be removed by the food mill.

Add your sugar and spices to the pureed apples, stir in completely, and continue cooking.

Spices Added:

Cook on low 6 to 8 hours or on high 2 to 4 hours. Half way through your cooking time remove the lid. Stir it occasionally and check for thickness. My way of testing it is to give it the "spoon test." If the spoon stands up, the apple butter is done!

Apple butter should have a rich, dark brown color to it, but not be over cooked to the point of being dry.

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