Crock Pot Apple Butter Two Ways

This week, my dad and I both made and canned crock pot apple butter.  We both just read some recipes online and just took bits and pieces and made it our own way.  They were both really good but totally different.  I'm posting the recipes below, but they are totally up to interpretation.  We both "dump cook," so there aren't any amounts, so add a little at the beginning and taste as you go to see if it needs more :)

Here's mine:
Alicia's Crock Pot Apple Butter

• big bag of apples (we used macintosh and gala)
• cinnamon
• nutmeg
• ground cloves
• I think a tad bit of brown sugar would have been good, not much...just maybe 1/8 cup

Peel, core, and cube enough apples to fill your crock pot, or just use as many as you want. (I have a big crock pot, and I only filled it half full.  The apples cook down a lot.  My batch only filled three small jelly jars, so if you want some to put back, use as many apples as you can).  Add cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves.  I added more cinnamon than anything.  Cook the apples until it looks like apple butter, stirring and tasting occasionally.  Once the apples start getting soft, take a potato masher or a wooden spoon to mush up the apples.  This makes a chunky apple butter.  Let cool.  Put in refrigerator or can.  If you don't can the apple butter, it should keep about a month in the fridge.

Daddy's Crock Pot Apple Butter

• big bag of apples 
• cinnamon
• pumpkin pie spice
• white grape/cranberry juice

Peel, core, and cube apples and put into crock pot.  Add cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and a small amount of juice.  Cook until mixture resembles apple butter, stirring and tasting occasionally.  When mixture is done, mix with a hand mixer.  This will make a smooth apple butter.

My apple butter was chunky and tasted a little like gingerbread.  It was more spicy than sweet.  Daddy's apple butter was smooth, and I could really taste the cranberry in it.

If you let the apples cook until the are just soft, they would make a great pie, fried pie, or cobbler filling :)

Plus, they make the house smell AWESOME!

While I was getting Connor to go to sleep last night, I found my new favorite Veggie Tales Silly Song.  Here it is...

And if anyone wants to watch the video A Snoodle's Tale I talked about a couple days ago, here it is as well...