Judy/AZ (12:48:15 PM) :

Apple Butter

3 to 5 lbs apples (any variety)
1/2 cup honey (any variety)
2 Tbsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1 cup Zinfandel wine or apple cider

Peel and core the apples (It's really not necessary to peel them, but it cooks a bit faster. Not much.) Chop the apples into about 1/2 to 1/4 pieces. puree the apples in a food processor (If you need to add some liquid to help puree the apples use a little wine.) Once the puree is completed, place the apples in the slow cooker. Add the wine, honey, cinnamon, allspice, and cloves. Mix thoroughly. Turn the slow cooker on high and place the lid on the cooker. Cook the apple mixture for 9 to 10 hours stirring the mixture every hour (depending upon the heat of the cooker.) When the mixture is stirred also scrape the sides down into the mixture. At about 8 hours remove the top from the cooker so that moisture will be removed. When the apple mixture has turned dark brown and is very thick it's time to taste and adjust the spice mixture to the intensity desired.

When the apple butter has reached the desired consistency and thickness place in an air tight container and refrigerate. This many apples should cook down to make no more that a quart of apple butter. This recipe may also be used for canning. If so then simply pour the boiling mixture into scaled 1/2 pint jars with about 1/2 inch of space left at the top of the jar and then seal and process the filled jars in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.