Crock Pot Applesauce and Apple Butter

Crock pot applesauce is so easy to make! I bought an apple slicer from the store. The kind that will core and slice the apple into eight equal pieces. I use any kind of apple for sauce. The sweeter the apple the sweeter the sauce and less sugar to use. Delicious apples require very little sweetener. Slice your apples and with a paring knife take off the skin. The skin will get tough when cooked so don't use them. Fill your crock pot with the apples packing them in but not too tight. You will need room to stir the apples while they are cooking. I add a half cup of water or apple juice to the pot and let it cook. You can use the low temp to cook them all night or all day and the high temp to cook them faster. I love cinnamon so I tend to add lots to my sauce when it is finished cooking. I also add the sugar at that time. Be sure to taste the applesauce first! As a newbie to canning, I read a recipe for apple butter wrong and used apple cider vinegar instead of apple cider. I grew up drinking apple juice, so I had no idea what apple cider was. The result was a happy mistake! Mix 8c applesauce, 1/2c apple cider vinegar, 4c sugar (I tried honey last year and ended up cooking it a lot longer), and 2t cinnamonish. Mix well and divide into two crock pots or one very large crock pot. Cook all day or over night on low stirring every hour to hour and a half. Process pints in water bath for 10 minutes. This also freezes well. I love the smell of the apples cooking and often will make this year round just to eat the applesauce fresh.