Apple butter

I love apples and eat them nearly every day. A favorite sweet & spicy snack of mine is sliced apples with ghost pepper cheese slices. When I find myself with more apples than I can eat I like to make homemade apple butter. I can get this together quickly and throw in the slow cooker.

Pairs well on

• toast

• gluten free tortillas

• mixed with greek yogurt (& I like to top with some crunchy almonds)

• oatmeal

Ingredients

• 8 Honeycrisp apples, cored and diced (you can leave on the skins!)

• 1/2 cup apple cider

• 1/2 cup real maple syrup

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

• a pinch of sea salt

Cook in Slow Cooker

1. In your slow cooker, combine the apples, apple cider, maple syrup, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and salt. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours or on high for 4-5 hours, stirring halfway through cooking.

2. Transfer the apples to a blender and puree until smooth. Return to the crockpot and cook, uncovered on high for 1-2 hours or until slightly thickened.

3. Taste and adjust sweetness level to your liking by adding more maple syrup.

4. Cool and store in glass jars in the fridge for up to 1 month.