Adept Autumn Apple Butter

No need to imagine me out in the yard over a large kettle stirring the apples for hours. My last batches were put in a slow cooker on high, cooked till reduced by half and blended.  Apples, cinnamon, allspice and cloves are the only ingredients-no sugar is needed. The smaller batches cook in just a few hours, giving enough for one recipe and leftovers to mix in yogurt or spread on toast.

Apple butter makes an excellent sauce for meatballs. Here is my link for those we made for the local farmers market demonstration a few years ago. These meatballs are made with Italian Sausage, but you can make them with beef or poultry.

The Apple Butter Cinnamon Rolls have only 4 grams of added sugar per roll. I topped the dough with just a little brown sugar and no butter. The apple butter oozed out the dough when rolled up and cut prior to baking, so the process was messy but the results after baking were superb. 

Apple Butter

Mix all ingredients in slow cooker.  Cook on high for 3 hours or until reduced by 1/2.  Blend until smooth.
12 apples, peeled and chunked
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon allspice

Egg Dough

(Makes 24 filled rolls)

Combine whole wheat flour, dry yeast (active dry or bread machine) and sugar in bowl of electric mixer with dough hook in place.

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 tablespoon yeast

2 teaspoon sugar

Slowly add warm milk to the bowl and beat for 2 minutes on medium speed.

1 cup skim milk, heated to 125F.

Add flours, oil, egg and salt to bowl.  Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes, scraping bowl down.

½ cup whole wheat flour

½ cup olive oil

1 egg (warmed to room temperature)

2 teaspoon salt

Gradually add additional flour to the mix, beating on low speed after each addition until the dough forms a ball and leaves the side of the mixer.  Scrape down sides of bowl with a rubber spatula throughout the process to combine the flour.

1 cup all-purpose flour

Mist a large bowl (twice the size of the dough bowl) with an olive oil spray.  Turn the dough ball so that all sides are greased.  Cover.  Let rise until double in bulk, about 45 minutes.

Turn onto board sprinkled with flour. Divide dough in half,  Roll to 14 X 8 inch rectangle.  Brush apple butter over dough to about 1/2 inch from ends.
1 cup apple butter
Sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon.

1 1/2 tablespoon brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Fold in short ends of dough. From long end of dough, roll and seal seam.  Cut roll into 12 pieces.  

 

Repeat with remaining dough.

 

Cut dough rounds can be arranged individually on a baking sheet or in a round cake pan.

 
Bake at 375F for 25 minutes.  Cool slightly on a cooling rack.

 

Mascarpone Icing

Process icing inn bowl of electric mixer with whip attachment, whipping until smooth.

5 tablespoon confectioners sugar, sifted

1 tablespoon milk

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

8 ounce mascarpone cheese

Store icing in refrigerator, spreading icing on rolls just prior to eating.