Try something different with your apples

Ilike to make my apple butter in a slow cooker. You will notice from the following recipe that I don’t use much cinnamon in my version, because I want to be able to taste the apples. I want “apple” butter, not “cinnamon“butter.

Apple cake and apple pies are favorites at our house, but apples are also a great addition to coffee cakes such as the following Apple Bran Coffee Cake.

Slow Cooker Apple Butter

1 (3 lb.) bag apples, peeled and coarsely chopped (about 8 cups)

2 cups sugar

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon (or to taste)

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar Put apples in a slow cooker. Sprinkle sugar and cinnamon on top of apples. Cover and cook on high for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Add vinegar and stir. Reduce heat to low and continue cooking for several hours until apples are the consistency of applesauce. Any large pieces of apples can be mashed with a potato masher or fork. Continue cooking to thicken slightly. Spoon into jars and seal immediately.

Apple Bran Coffee Cake

½ cup All-bran

1 cup butterscotch morsels

½ cup chopped pecans

1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour ½ teaspoon baking powder ¾ teaspoon baking soda 1 cup sugar

2 large eggs

½ cup butter, softened at room temperature

1 cup sour cream

1 cup peeled and grated red delicious apples Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 13x9x2 inch baking pan. In bowl of food processor, fitted with steel blade, combine all-bran and butterscotch morsels. Process until fine but not powdery. Remove blade and stir in pecans. Reserve ¾ cup of this mixture. In large mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, eggs, butter and sour cream. Mix well. Stir in apples and bran mixture (except reserved ¾ cup). Pour batter into prepared pan. Sprinkle reserved bran mixture over top. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into center of coffeecake. Cool about 10 minutes on cake rack. Drizzle with glaze:

• 1 cup confectioners’ sugar

• 1 ½ to 2 tablespoons milk

• ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

Combine and mix until blended. Drizzle over coffeecake.