Apple Butter

I have to confess I'm a little scared to leave my crockpot on all day while I go to work. Leaving it on on weekends and days off while I'm in and out running errands all day is fine, but leaving it on while I'm at work squicks me out a little. I know it's irrational. I know that my crockpot won't suddenly, after over 4 years of reliable use, won't all of a sudden blow up on me... But what if it does?

This apple butter is my first experiment with putting something in my crockpot while I was away at work. Do you think I could concentrate at work? Of course not. Instead of brilliant legal thoughts, my imagination went wild with thoughts of burned apples (at best) and charred house remains (at worst). 

Needless to say, my house was still standing when I got home, the apples were cooking nicely, and it smelled like I had spent all day making apple pies. It was wonderful.

Now if only I could convince myself that this all-day-while-I'm-at-work success wasn't a fluke and I should try it again.

Crockpot Apple Butter

From My Baking Addiction, adapted

Makes about 4 pints

INGREDIENTS

6 1/2 lbs tart apples, peeled, cored, and sliced

2/3 - 1 cup white sugar (depending on how sour your apples are)

2/3 - 1 cup brown sugar (depending on how sour your apples are)

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp ground cloves

2 tsp cinnamon 

1/4 tsp salt

1 TBSP vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS

Place the apples in the crockpot. Add the sugars, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, and salt. Stir to combine.

Cook on low for about 10 hours, stirring very occasionally (I stirred once after it cooked for about 9 hrs), until the mixture is thickened and dark brown.

Uncover, stir in the vanilla, and cook for about 2 hrs. It'll probably look like the apples are sort of breaking down and liquefying, but that's ok. Cooking uncovered will allow some of the excess liquid to evaporate.

Puree with an immersion blender until smooth. Put in sterile containers and store in the fridge or freezer.

Apple Skillet Pie

I don't know if I'm the only one who does this, but whenever I buy those pre-made roll-out pie crusts, I end up using only one of the two in the package and never know what to do with the other one. The single crust usually ends up sitting in my fridge for months before I decide there isn't anything I will ever use it for and throw it out. Yes, I know I could avoid this debacle just by making the crust from scratch, but let's face it - as delicious as it is, who has time for that?

That's where this recipe comes in. It has all the great things about apple pie, but takes a fraction of the time to make. I made it in my cast iron skillet, just because I like making things in cast iron, but I'm sure a pie plate would be good, too. It also makes a really tasty breakfast, for those of you who like getting a nice unhealthy start to your day.

Apple Skillet Pie
Serves 8-10
Prep Time - 20 minutes
Cook Time - one hour

INGREDIENTS
1 stick butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 TBSP sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
6 big apples
1 roll-out refrigerated pie crust
1 egg, lightly beaten with 1-2 TBSP milk
sugar, for dusting

DIRECTIONS
Melt butter over medium-low heat in a cast iron skillet. Once butter is melted, add the sugar, brown sugar, and cinnamon and stir to combine.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

While the butter is melting, start peeling, coring, and cutting the apples into slices. I used 6 really big apples but could've used one or two more because my skillet is really big. Add them to the pan and stir to coat. Cook for about 5 minutes.

Remove the pan from heat and put the pie crust on the top. Cut a few slits in the crust to allow the steam to escape.

Brush the top of the crust with the egg/milk wash and sprinkle with some sugar (this is optional, but it looks pretty).

Put in the oven and bake for 45-60 minutes, or until the crust is nice and golden brown. Depending on how full your skillet is, you may want to put a cookie sheet under the skillet to catch anything that may seep out of the pan.

Let cool for about an hour before cutting and eating. Enjoy!

Apple Cake

Perhaps I should've called this post "Apple Butter Cake." Or "Death by Butter." At any rate, I'll clear the air before you read any further. This cake uses almost 3 sticks of butter. Yes, you read that right. As much as I love her recipes, I've got a hunch that Pioneer Woman has a phobia of cooking without butter. 

I made this cake one night when I had a bunch of apples I needed to use up. I'd heard many raves about this cake, so I was really excited to finally try it. Unfortunately, I was just a tiny bit disappointed. I thought that the cake was a bit dry and too dense. So, why I am I posting it, you ask? Well, two reasons. First, I seemed to be alone in that opinion. Because of the aforementioned 3 sticks of butter, we pawned off about half the cake on nearby relatives. They all went crazy over the cake. Second, the apple portion of this cake is basically to die for. I still have dreams about it on occasion. I want to eat a big bowl of apples sauteed in butter with brown sugar and cinnamon. Or eat it over ice cream.  Or perhaps just eat it out of the skillet.

Apple Cake in an Iron Skillet
Recipe from Pioneer Woman, adapted

INGREDIENTS
4-5 whole tart apples, peeled & cored, and cut into 8-10 slices
1 3/4 stick butter
3/4 cup sugar

Cake
1 stick butter
2/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
2 large eggs
1/2 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 apple, peeled, cored, and chopped into tiny pieces

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a 10-inch skillet, melt 1 3/4 sticks butter over low heat. Add 3/4 cup sugar to the pan and stir. Place sliced apples in the pan. Don't pack them too tightly, but try not to leave many gaps.

Cook over low or medium low heat while you make the cake batter, or about 15 min.

Beat 1 stick of butter with 2/3 cup sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Mix in vanilla and eggs. Add sour cream and mix well.

In a separate bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, and salt. Gradually add to the cake batter and mix until just combined. Stir in the chopped apple.

Remove the skillet from the heat. Spoon the batter over the top and spread it around gently so that the batter is evenly distributed. Bake for about 20-25 min, or until the cake is golden brown and bubbly.

Allow cake to sit and cool for 5-10 min, and then flip over onto a serving platter. Cut a big slice and serve warm with vanilla ice cream.