slow cooker apple butter;

slow cooker apple butter;

Thick and smooth spiced apple butter spread and little to no added sugar depending on what kind of apples you use!  

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I love fall! The beautiful leaves on the trees, the cozy-but-not-bitter-cold weather, and all the baking. All the baking. Lucky you! Today I’m bringing you a super easy slow cooker apple butter recipe. This recipe actually stems from my husband (woah, I can say that now). He’s been on an apple butter kick lately, and really wanted to try to make our own. I figured it couldn’t be too hard.

Turns out, it’s not too hard, but there’s a couple of key things to watch out for. There’s a fine line to walk between keeping the apples moist and letting them cook. We actually burned the first batch because we didn’t have enough liquid. The solution? Add more apples, because more apples means more juices. And check in on it occasionally and add more water if you think it needs a little love.

For this batch, we ended up using honeycrisp apples. Honeycrisp can be pretty tart, and I ended up needing some brown sugar to help add back some sweetness. While I love a tart apple for snacking, apple butter is more of a jammy, warm, spicy flavor, which lends itself to sweet. I think for my next batch I’ll try half gala and half honeycrisp and play with the sugar levels.

The process to make apple butter is really quite simple, and very similar to applesauce, if you’ve made applesauce before. Bake apples until mush, squish or blend tasty mush. Arguably apple butter is actually easier because you just blend all the guys and don’t have to run the apples through a mill. I have such fond memories of applesauce. My mom always makes homemade applesauce in the fall.

Every batch is slightly different since she tries different combinations of apples. She typically boils the apples down to mush, skins-on, and then my sister and I would help her process them. We’d spin the handle on the mill, and trade off helping because it was always a biiiig batch.

I do remember getting defensive when kids at school joked my applesauce was “weird” and pink. But I got over it pretty quick when I realized homemade is so much better than that bright yellow, store-bought nonsense everyone else brought to school. It’s really ruined any other kind of applesauce for me, in the best way!

But enough about applesauce, this post is apple butter. One of the things I love about this recipe is the fact you don’t have to skin the apples. There’s extra nutrients in the skin, and also because I’m lazy and peeling 4lbs of apples isn’t quick.

To get the apple butter texture, you will need to blend then put back in the pot to get the right texture. The batch of 4lbs that I made filled 3 16oz mason jars, just about exactly. Your yield might differ depending if you like it thinner or thicker, and how long it’s left to reduce. Also play with your favorite spices! I used my favorites here, but if you’re confident in the kitchen, feel free to play around with the ratios.

Secret to Success:

• This recipe is easy, almost too easy. Set a timer periodically to check up on the slow cooker and assess if you need to add a dash of water to keep it from burning.
• Play with the apple varietals! I’ve mentioned some suggestions throughout the post and on the recipe card. Try half honeycrisp and half gala, or half gala and half fuji. But try whatever you have on hand and let me know your favorite combinations down in the comments!
• What spices speak holiday warmth to you? Add those! I put my favorite combination below, but follow your own preferences. If you’re a ginger fan, add an extra sprinkle of ginger. Curious about cloves? Add another tap or two. Taste as you go, because you don’t want to get carried away and ruin the batch. It does take 10 hours after all!

Looking for other fall recipes? Check out these suggestions:

• Worried you have too much apple butter? (Nonsense, no such thing.) Try these no bake apple butter truffles for a chocolate covered delight!
• Pumpkin is the other heavy hitter for fall, and these pumpkin cheesecake bars are sure to please a crowd.
• Check out this liquid luck halloween cocktail for a dazzling gold apple cider cocktail to serve at your next party.

slow cooker apple butter;

Thick and smooth spiced apple butter spread and little to no added sugar depending on what kind of apples you use!  

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Wait Time: 10 hours hours

Total Time: 10 hours hours 15 minutes minutes

Oven Temp: –

Servings: 20

Author: bestwithchocolate.com

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Ingredients

• 4 lbs. apples cored and sliced (I like a mix of gala and fuji)
• ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
• ⅛ cup brown sugar (optional)
• 1 tsp cloves
• 1 tsp allspice
• ½ tsp ginger
• 2 tsp cinnamon

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Instructions

• Core and slice apples (can leave on the skins) and add them to the basin of a slow cooker. Pour apple cider vinegar over the apples and cover with lid.
• Cook for 8 hours on low, stirring occasionally. Ensure the apples are kept moist and don't burn. If mixture looks too dry, add ¼ cup of water for moisture. Can repeat this process as needed, but add sparingly, ideally only once or twice. Adding too much will extend the cooking time to get that nice thick apple butter texture at the end.
• Once the apples are simmered and mushy, add them (skins and all) to a blender or processor and process until smooth.
• Return the blended mixture to the slow cooker. If you want to add more sweetness, add ⅛ cup brown sugar. Add the spices and mix thoroughly. Taste as you go and adjust the flavorings to your preference.
• Cook on high, uncovered until desired consistency is reached. I like my apple butter a little thinner so it usually takes 30-60 minutes.

Did you make this recipe?Mention @bestwithchocolate or tag #bestwithchocolate!

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