I grew up in a typical Cuban household, so it may be no surprise that I didn't really hear of apple butter until last year. To be honest, I don't really know any Latinos that eat apple butter but I'm here to tell you that you absolutely MUST add this delicious snack into your life! Here's why:
The Southern specialty is basically like apple sauce, except thicker, richer, and MUCH tastier. It works great as a spread and I also love having it as a snack (the same as I would do with regular apple sauce) or as a dessert (maybe even putting it on top of something, like a brownie). After making my first batch of apple butter last year (after an apple-picking trip with my family), this year I decided that the perfect way to celebrate the start of fall would be to make a spicy apple butter with some delicious Latin flavor!
Now, making apple butter can take a while but luckily my trusty slow cooker was up to the challenge! And now I have lots of deliciousness to enjoy.
Read more ¿Qué más? Latin slow cooker recipe: An easy & healthy banana oatmeal (EXCLUSIVE RECIPE)
Slow Cooker Latin-Spiced Apple Butter
Prep: 15 minutes__
Slow Cook:__ 18 hours on Low__Yield:__ 6 (1 cup) servings
__Ingredients:
__10 small apples (I used Granny Smith, pictured above)
2 cups water
3 tablespoons vanilla extract
3 tablespoons cinnamon
3 tablespoons cane sugar (I used Habanero Sugar)
3 tablespoons hot sauce (I used Tabasco)
1 tablespoon salt (I used sea salt)
__Directions:
__1. Wash and dry your apples, then chop them into small 1-inch pieces. Put them into your slow cooker. Pour in the water, followed by the vanilla extract.
2. Then, sprinkle in your cinnamon and cane sugar (you can omit the sugar if you use a sweeter apple). Top with hot sauce and the salt. You can use less hot sauce, if you don't want it too spicy.
3. Set the slow cooker on LOW for 16 to 18 hours. Usually I recommend doing this the night before, checking on it in the morning, and then coming home to your perfectly-cooked snack.
4. Once done, turn off your slow cooker and let the apple butter cool for 30 minutes. Then, pour the mixture into a food processor or blender and mix it until it is smooth. Taste and add sugar or hot sauce accordintly.
5. Using a strainer to remove the apple skins, divide the mixture into jars (about three) and serve as a perfect mid-day snack or even dessert.
Image via Irina Gonzalez/flickr
