Friday Foodspiration: Better for You Apple Butter

There was a farmers market near where I grew up that sold the most amazing homemade apple butter. It was one of the things my parents used to send me from Maryland when I moved to Tennessee.

I have so much nostalgia around spreading apple butter on fresh biscuits, cornbread, or even just toast. But, I can’t even imagine how much sugar they added to make it so delicious!

This fall, I set out to make apple butter without the added sugars. Of course, apples have natural sugars but the body responds differently to those than the ones we pour from the sugar jar. It turns out that this easy to make apple butter (in a crock pot) without refined sugars is still fabulous.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups Apples, peeled and roughly chopped

• 1/2 cup 100% Apple Juice, no sugar added

• 1 tsp Lemon Juice

• 1/4 tsp Nutmeg

• 1 tsp Cinnamon

• 1/4 tsp Dried Cloves

• 1/2 tsp Vanilla

• 1/8 tsp Sea Salt

• 2 tbs Granulated Sugar Substitute*

Instructions:

1. Spray the inside of your crock pot with cooking spray (I use a coconut oil spray).

2. Add all the ingredients to the crock pot and set on low for 12 hours.

3. Use an immersion blender to puree the mixture until smooth.

4. Continue to cook for an additional hour with the top ajar until the mixture thickens.

5. Allow the apple butter to cool and store in the refrigerator (1 week) or freezer (several months).