Cranberry Apple Butter

Cranberry Apple 'Butter'

Recipe By: The Flying Biscuit Cafe, Atlanta, GA

*I have found this recipe to work quite well in the crock pot. Add the first round of ingredients, turn it on high, and begin with the apples. I use my food processor or food chopper to speed up the cooking process. The smaller the apple pieces, the faster it cooks. Stir occasionally. If you have an immersion blender (or stick blender) I use that when it has all cooked to even out the texture. A regular blender would probably work, too.

• 2 cups dark brown sugar
• 1 cinnamon stick
  
• 1 1/4 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
• 2 cups cranberries
• 10 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and chopped
  

Place sugar, spices, and orange juice in a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan.
Bring to a simmer and add the cranberries.
Cook over medium heat until cranberries begin to pop.

Add the apples and cook over low heat, stirring frequently.
Cook until apples are tender and falling apart.
Puree the contents of saucepan in a food processor or mash with a potato masher until smooth and thick.

Cool and serve with hot biscuits.

Will keep 2 to 3 weeks in refrigerator. If you can it, it will fill about 10 of the smaller jars. Put the hot apple butter in the jars, seal the lid, and put them in a hot water bath (boiling water in a big pot) for a few minutes. Take them out and sit them somewhere to cool. As they cool, the lids should seal (not make that popping sound). If they don't, it wasn't hot enough. Reheat in the hot water bath.