For the Caramel Pecan Apple Butter:

1. First, prep your slow cooker by giving it a light coat of cooking spray. This will ensure that your apple butter doesn’t stick.
2. Now, add your 3 lbs of peeled, cored, and cut Gala apples to the slow cooker.
3. Pour in the 1 cup of unsweetened apple juice, and sprinkle in all those wonderful spices – 2 tsp of cinnamon, 1/2 tsp of nutmeg, 1/2 tsp of cloves, and 1/2 tsp of allspice.
4. Put on the slow cooker lid, and turn it up to high heat.
5. Let everything cook for an hour.
6. After that hour’s up, turn off the slow cooker.
7. Take about a third of that stewed apple mixture and transfer it to your food processor or grab an immersion blender.
8. Blend until those apples are silky smooth.
9. Keep repeating this process until all your stewed apples have turned into a creamy mixture.
10. Now, pour it all back into the slow cooker.
11. Set the slow cooker to low heat and let it cook for 6-8 hours. You’ll notice the apple mixture reducing to about half its original volume. That’s when you know it’s ready.
12. Set it aside for now.

For the Caramel Sauce:

1. Start by toasting your pecans in a dry skillet over medium heat until they become fragrant and slightly golden. This step enhances their flavor.
2. In a separate saucepan, combine the sugar and water. Heat this mixture over medium-high heat, stirring until the sugar is completely dissolved.
3. Once the sugar has dissolved, stop stirring and allow the mixture to boil.
4. Keep whisking until the mixture thickens and starts to bubble – around 5-7 minutes.
5. Then, remove the skillet from the heat.
6. Carefully and quickly stir in your toasted pecans. Make sure they are well coated in the caramel.
7. Pour the caramel-coated pecans onto a parchment paper-lined tray or baking sheet, spreading them out so they don’t clump together. Let them cool and harden.
8. Slowly introduce your beautiful caramel sauce into the apple mixture. Stir it all in gently