I did not add any fluid - my apples were really fresh, and also used only 1 cup of brown sugar. I feel the brown sugar brings to mind the old style flavor. I don't like mine sweet, so if you prefer sweeter, you can add sugar towards the end. It doesn't affect the cooking, just flavor. Next time I will try honey, then next batch, maple syrup. Will keep you posted on how that turns out.

Simple and easy to make with an added bonus... it is delicious! I made a few substitutions based on the other comments. Used brown sugar and added dark rum, YUM! My only heartache was that it was not thickening how I would like it. The immersion blender was a great idea and worked out well to achieve a nice smooth consistency. I will be making more!

This is a great recipe!! Gave it away at Thanksgiving. Delicious on rolls OR with Cream Cheese on your waffles!! I substitued 1 cup of Brown Sugar for one of the cups of regular and used part apple cider vinegar in the 3/4 cup of water. Also, I am lazy so I did not peel my apples! No problem, it still came out smooth with my whizzy hand blender. It was a little thin at the end so I added about 1/4 cup of flour and let it cook down some more. Took a full 24 hours and my house smelled fantastic!

I have made this many times this year. It had turned out great every time. My friends are all getting it for Christmas, wrapped in a kitchen towel, with a bow! Thanks so much for sharing.

I own a convenience store and always look for stuff to fix at the store that will give it a pleasant smell... This was wonderful. I did it on a day that I worked 18 hours (which is more often than not). By the time that my business picked up (about 4 hours after opening) the store had a wonderful aroma - even had customers wanting to buy it. I will be making another batch in the next few days (freezes wonderfully for future use).

Easy and delicious. Only used 1 cup of sugar as the apples were plenty sweet.

I made this and let it cook overnight, I woke to an amazing scent through out the house. I did have to remove some excess liquid and cook on high... My husband loved it! It makes a lot, finally finished it off so I am making more for the holiday crowd coming to visit.

Simply amazing recipe for apple butter. I made this while visiting my sister and it was a success with everyone. I used 2 cups brown sugar and 1 cup white sugar. The immersion blender worked perfectly. Good on a biscuit and great right out of the jar.

This recipe was easy and delicious! I ended up cooking it for about 15 hours, and using the immersion blender. I was worried about it's liquidity - it was really juicy around the 8-hour point - but it thickened up nicely in the morning, and even more after it cooled. I have a second batch in the crockpot now!

I made this recipe and substituted the honey, and I used less than one cup - it was plenty sweet for me. Freshly grated nutmeg is worth a try. Great recipe, my only comment is that I never was able to get it "store bought" apple butter thickness. Still so worth it, and the crockpot allows the flavors to really mingle. Canned 5 1/2 pints - these will be holiday gifts!

I made three batches of this apple butter. I have not tasted apple butter like this since I was a little kid. That has been a long time. The spices are perfect. There were a few chunks of very soft apples after it was cooked so I put it through a food mill. There was no waste at all. Everyone that ate it just raved about it. In my opinion it couldn't be better.

Super easy to throw everything in the crock overnight! The immersion blender works great to smooth it in the morning. I played around a little with ingredients and subbed half brown/white sugar, stick cinnamon, and powdered ginger instead of clove. Okay... So I also added an 1/8 cup dark rum, maybe that is what made it so delicious!

Easy and good base recipe - however, 3 cups of sugar ended up being too sweet for us. Next time I will try the honey substitute, and perhaps, will use 4 pounds of apples. FYI - the 3 pound recipe resulted in 11 (4 oz. each) canning jars.

This recipe was fantastic! It's some of the best apple butter that my family and I have ever tasted. I've made 2 batches so far, and will make more before the season ends.

The absolute best recipe ever for apple butter - the only thing I changed (i used water) was my immersion blender to make it a little thicker.... Thumbs up!!!