Apple Butter

A woman in our ward has a small orchard but does not sell her apples or pears. She and her husband just let as many people that want to come roam their orchard and pick to their hearts content. Lou was in heaven eating the apple straight from the tree. I wish I would have brought my camera. Between that and the two cats, it was better than any park or playground she had ever been to.
I am not a big canning person and don't have the tools to make large amounts of applesauce or apple pie filling. So, I brought one bucket. Lydia ate her fair share - asking for an apple every day until I made this butter.
This apple butter is one of the easier recipes I found - no need for making applesauce before hand. Plus, your house will smell delicious for at least a day. If you are lucky like me, you will do it overnight and literally dream about it. This is a very adaptable recipe - use the spices you like or the ones in your house.
Oh, and happy Apple Month!

Apple Butter

1 crock pot almost full of peeled, cored, and chopped apples. (I have a 2.5 qt size)
3 cups sugar
1 Tbsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup water

Place all items in crock pot, stir until combined. (If it is easier, use a large bowl to mix then dump in the crock pot... that's what I did.) Cover and cook overnight on low. If desired, blend until desired texture.

Tips:

1. Depending on the juiciness of your apples your butter may be more liquidy or a little dry. If you need to add liquid, add a touch of water or apple juice. If you need to remove some liquid, turn crock pot to high with the lid off until desired texture. (This was the case for me, I left my lid off for about 4 more hours... they were really juicy.)
2. Sorry - I was just peeling away at the apples and didn't really notice how many it took to fill the crock pot, my guess - about 10 to 12.
3. Use like you would use a jam - on toast, baked goods, as a filling, on a spoon...