Slow Cooker Cranberry Apple Butter

The Magical Slow Cooker has a great recipe for cranberry apple butter that you need to try! Perfect for fall!

Ingredients

2 lbs. apples peeled cored and sliced (I used granny smith, about 6 cups total after being cut

12 oz bag fresh cranberries

½ tsp. ground cloves

2 cinnamon sticks

1 cup orange juice

½ cup brown sugar-add this at the end, to taste

Instructions

Add the sliced and peeled apples to the slow cooker, note don't worry about using the exact amount of apples as me, somewhere close is fine. 

Add the cranberries, clove, cinnamon sticks and orange juice.

Cover and cook on HIGH for 5 hours or low for 8, without opening the lid during the cooking time.

When the cooking time is done, remove cinnamon sticks and discard. Ladle everything into a blender, add the sugar. (I used a half cup of packed brown sugar and that was good for my taste. Use less if you don't like things too sweet, you can always add more.)

Blend everything together until smooth.

I think this tastes better after being refrigerated overnight. Great on biscuits or croissants.

 

Crockpot Apple Butter

 

Oh my word this apple butter from Changing my Destiny is sooo incredibly easy, makes your house smell AMAZING, and tastes so great! I tripled my batch, by the way. 

*Makes a little more than 1 pint

INGREDIENTS:

1 dozen apples, peeled, cored, cubed

1/2 Cup Water

1/4 Cup Brown Sugar

1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon All Spice

DIRECTIONS:

Step 1:

Peel, Core, and Chop a dozen apples. I used apples from our trip to the Apple Orchard. I’m no apple expert, but these apples were more dense than the apples I typically buy in the grocery store. The flavor was great, but it took longer to break down in the Crockpot.

Step 2:

Toss the apples in the sugar and spices.

Step 3:

Put everything in the Crockpot, then [say it with me] Set It, and Forget It! I cooked it on Low overnight. After a few more hours on low, I bumped it to high and propped the lid. It cooked down and thickened quite a bit.

Step 4:

I suppose it’s optional, but I decided to blend the butter down smooth. You can eat it right out of the Crockpot, I did. I just took a spoon to the Crockpot and dove in, it was divine. However, for the finished product I wanted it smoother and pulled out my Magic Bullet since I don’t own an immersion blender. Then poured it into clean canning jars.

No-Cook Strawberry Peach Jam

 

Making jam is my jam-it's super easy, waaay better than store-bought, and tastes great on anything! This recipe from Chef in Training is the perfect blend of fresh ingredients!

Ingredients

1¼ cups crushed strawberries

2 cups finely chopped peaches

¼ cup fresh lemon juice

1 (2 oz.) box MCP Pectin

4½ cups sugar

1 cup light corn syrup

Instructions

1. Wash and rinse plastic containers with tight fitting lids. There are freezable glass

jars and that is what I used. Make sure it says freezable. Use 1-2 cup sized containers.

2. Wash, stem and crush berries using a potato masher for best results. Peel, pit

and finely chop peaches. Do not puree the fruit, jam should have bits of fruit.

3. Measure EXACT amount of prepared fruit and lemon juice into a large bowl.

4. Measure EXACT amount of sugar into a separate bowl. Reducing sugar amount

or using substitutes will result in set failures.

5. Gradually stir in 1 box of MCP pectin into fruit. Mix thoroughly. Set aside for 30 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes to dissolve pectin thoroughly.

6. Pour 1 cup light corn syrup into fruit mixture. Mix well. This prevents sugar crystallization during freezer storage.

7. Stir sugar in gradually. Stir constantly until sugar is COMPLETELY dissolved and no longer grainy.

8. Pour into prepared containers, leaving ½-inch space at the top for expansion during freezing.

9. Let stand at room temperature for 24 hours until set. Refrigerate up to 3 weeks or store in freezer for up to 1 year.

Thaw in fridge. Recipe makes 7 cups

Christmas Jam

 

Thank you, A Family Feast for our new FAVORITE jam!! This is an amazing blend of flavors and looks beautiful! I did one batch where I added an orange to the food processor and that was a great addition, too! Super easy to make and made for a great gift with some homemade bread!

INGREDIENTS

2 packages (20 ounces each) frozen whole strawberries (fresh strawberries may also be substituted)

1 pound fresh or frozen cranberries

5 pounds sugar (This is not a typo – 5 pounds is the correct amount. Some readers have told us that they successfully used less sugar when making this jam.)

2 pouches (3-ounces each) liquid fruit pectin

INSTRUCTIONS

In a food processor, pulse the strawberries and cranberries – you can process them to a finely chopped texture for a completely smooth jam, or leave some fruit partially chopped for a chunkier jam.

Pour the processed fruit into a large heavy-bottomed pot. Add sugar and over medium high heat, bring the fruit and sugar mixture to a full rolling boil.

Boil for 1 minute.

Remove the pot from the heat and add the pectin, stirring to mix completely.

Allow the jam to cool for 5 minutes, then skim off the foam on the top.

Ladle the hot jam mixture into sterile half-pint jars, leaving ¼-inch headspace. Wipe jar rims clean, cover with hot lids and screw on the jar bands.

Process the jars for 10 minutes in a water bath. 

Makes about 14 half-pint jars. Recipe may be halved.

Strawberry Peach Mango Jam

 

This beautiful summer jam comes from Plate fete, along with her gorgeous photos. It is bright and fresh and looks {almost} too pretty to eat! 

Makes about 1 quart of jam. 

Cook's Note: This jam will be best when made with the ripest fruit possible - not spoiled, but close to it.  It is the perfect way to use "ugly fruit" - i.e. bruised, somewhat shriveled specimens. The fruit will be at its sweetest and most flavorful stage when it looks a little too ripe for out-of-hand eating. 

4 medium ripe, yellow peaches, peeled* and halved 

3 cups fresh strawberries, hulled and halved (about 1 quart)

1 ripe mango, cut into cubes 

1 1/2 cups sugar**

1/3 cup water

*Cook's Note: If your peaches are very ripe, a vegetable peeler will do the job nicely, however, if your peaches are still somewhat firm, or you are working with larger quantities, feel free to use the blanching method - it's a breeze and soooo satisfying. 

**Cook's Note: You may not wish to use the entire 1 1/2 cups of sugar.  This ratio is based on fruit that is a little less than ideal.  If your fruit is very sweet, you may be able to reduce the amount to 1 cup.  Feel free to begin with 1 cup (no less though) and add the additional sugar towards the end of the cooking process, after you have been able to taste the mixture and gauge its sweetness. 

Select a heavy bottomed, 3-quart saucepan and add prepared fruit, sugar, and water.  Place over medium high heat and bring to a soft boil.  Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium and cook for 15-20 minutes, until the fruit is very soft.  

Remove the pan from the heat and allow it to cease boiling and cool just slightly.  Using an immersion or stand blender, puree the fruit mixture until very smooth.  

Return the puree to the pot and place over medium heat.   If the jam appears to be getting too hot and is popping or splattering, you may need to reduce the heat to low.  Cook, stirring often, until thick - about 15-20 minutes.  Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature.  The jam will thicken further as it cools.  

Transfer to jars or airtight containers and store in the refrigerator for several weeks. If you prefer to use canning jars, process in a water bath for 10 minutes. 

Crock Pot Apple Butter

 I saw this recipe on Changing My Destiny and just HAD to try it! It was delicious and next time I will triple the recipe (at least!) so that I can make a few pints at a time, since this recipe makes a little over one pint.

1 dozen apples, peeled, cored, cubed
1/2 Cup Water
1/4 Cup Brown Sugar
1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon All Spice

*Peel, Core, and Chop a dozen apples. You can use your corer/peeler, then just dice. Throw in with the remaining ingredients and cook on LOW for 12 hours, stirring ever couple hours. After 12 hours, carefully pour ingredients into your immersion blender and pulse a few times until it is a smooth consistency. Pour into very hot canning jars and they should seal on their own. If you want to be safe, you can process the jars in a water bath for 5 minutes, too. Enjoy!

Plum Butter In a Slow Cooker

This turned out AWESOME! I have to say I was a little hesitant--I've never done anything with plums before, nor have I ever made any types of butters, but this was easy and so tasty! I did adjust the recipe a little bit, especially after reading comments of people who had already tried it and had some trouble. Here's the link for the original recipe though. Feel free to adjust it to the amount of plums you have...

6 lbs. plums (about 12 cups)
2-1/4 c. sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. vanilla

*Wash plums. Cut them in half and remove pits. (You do not need to peel them). Place in crock pot; stir in sugar. Cook overnight or about 12 hours on low heat. In the morning, prop lid open a little bit and cook on high about 4 hours, stirring frequently. (If you are going to be gone or need more time, leave on low for about another 8 hours). As soon as your plum mixture thickens to desired consistency, add vanilla and cinnamon. Place jars in a water bath for 10 minutes, cool on rack until lids seal. Enjoy!

Watermelon Jam

I found a recipe for watermelon jelly! I was so excited to try it and am so excited that it tastes delicious and is so pretty! It actually tastes like watermelon Jolly Ranchers! I got the recipe off of this site but made some changes to make it a little better consistency.1 medium watermelon (6 cups pureed, seedless or with seeds removed)
1/2 cup bottled lemon juice
5 cups sugar
2 packages regular pectin

*De-seed and cut up watermelon; place in blender until you have 6 cups of puree. Place in large stock pot and add lemon juice and sugar.
*Bring mixture to a boil over medium-high heat; once your liquid reaches 220 degrees, add pectin. Bring to a boil again and boil for 15 minutes, stirring constantly.
*Finish canning process by pouring into sterilized canning jars and then putting jam into a water bath for 5 minutes. Allow to cool and enjoy! This is a beautiful red color and would be perfect as Christmas gifts with a bright green ribbon around it and some fresh baked bread--just an idea :)