Want to wake up at 4 AM? Try this recipe!

We love Apple Butter at our house and since one of our apple trees (our Red Rome) is full of apples waiting to be picked, I decided I'd try out a new recipe made with brown sugar and use our own apples. Whenever I use the crockpot overnight I over think it. This needed to cook on low for 12 hours... then cook more, so overnight seemed the best answer. I left the skins on and packed the crockpot. When I went to turn the crockpot on before bed I noticed it has settled. Ok, cut a few more apples and stuff it even more full! I went to bed and thought I'd sleep - no issues. 4 AM I sat straight up in bed, the whole house smelled like cooking apples. I tried so hard to go back to sleep, but I failed. I went down and stirred up the crockpot, then went back to bed. In the actual morning another stir. Took a walk and when I came back I took my stick blender to it and whizzed up the smoothest brown apple butter. So good. But we weren't done. Keep it on low and went about my errands. In the afternoon I came back and got my canner going and filled up some bottles with this gold. Now we need to have some biscuits so we can give this a true test. The brown sugar does give it more of a caramel flavor than our white sugar recipe. I love that we can use our own apples for this and you don't have to peel them.

Brown Sugar Apple Butter
5½ pounds apples, peeled (optional), cored, and chopped
2 cups light brown sugar, packed
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon water
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon cloves
1 teaspoon kosher salt

Place the chopped apples into a slow cooker.
Add the brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, water, cinnamon, allspice, and salt. Mix well.
Cover and cook on low for 12 hours.
After 12 hours, uncover and use an immersion blender to puree the mixture until smooth.
Optional: Pass the apple butter through a fine wire-mesh strainer to catch any remaining larger pieces. This is an optional step but will ensure a smooth and creamy consistency. Discard any of the thicker pulp.
Cover and cook on low for another 8-10 hours. The apple butter is done when it is dark brown, thicker than apple sauce, and sticks to the back of a spoon.
Spoon mixture into sealed containers to store in the refrigerator or freezer.
I process in a 10 minute water bath canner for storage.
*Makes 6-7 half-pint jars