Slow Cooker Apple Butter
Slow cooker apple butter is apples cooked low and slow with sugar and warm spices until thick, dark, and spreadable. Add 5 pounds of chopped apples, cider, brown sugar, and spices to your slow cooker. Cook on low for about 10 hours, blend, then cook uncovered until thick.
There's a smell that tells me fall has come. It's apples and cinnamon, cooking all day.
This apple butter is the easiest way I know to fill the house with it. You chop, you stir, and the slow cooker does the rest.
No canning needed. It keeps in the fridge or freezer, so you can make it on a busy weekday.
What is apple butter?
Apple butter is apples cooked down for hours until they turn thick, smooth, and dark brown. There's no butter in it at all.
The name comes from how it spreads, soft and smooth like butter. It's richer and deeper than applesauce, with a sweet, spiced, almost caramel taste.
I love it on toast with a cup of Rooibos tea. The tea's soft vanilla flavor goes right along with the apples.
What apples are best for apple butter?
What do you need to make slow cooker apple butter?
How do you make apple butter in a slow cooker?
Cook the apples and spices on low for about 10 hours. Then blend smooth and cook uncovered to thicken.
Prep the apples. Peel, core, and chop the apples into chunks. Add them to the slow cooker.
Add everything else. Pour in the cider and lemon juice. Add the brown sugar, spices, and salt. Stir well.
Cook low and slow. Cover and cook on low for 10 hours, or on high for 5 hours. Stir a few times if you're home.
Blend. Use an immersion blender right in the pot until smooth. Or blend in small batches in a regular blender. Hot food can splatter, so fill it only halfway.
Thicken. Stir in the vanilla. Cook on low with the lid off or tilted for 1 to 2 more hours, until it's as thick as you like.
Cool and jar. Let it cool, then spoon it into clean jars or containers.
How do you know when apple butter is done?
Apple butter is done when a spoonful holds its shape on a plate with no watery ring around it. It should be dark brown and thick.
Try this: put a small spoonful on a cold plate. Wait a minute. If water seeps out around the edge, cook it a little longer.
Remember, it thickens more as it cools.
How long does homemade apple butter last?
Homemade apple butter keeps about 3 weeks in the fridge in a covered jar. In the freezer, it keeps up to a year.
To freeze it, leave about 1/2 inch of space at the top of each jar or container. Food grows as it freezes, so it needs a little room. Thaw it in the fridge overnight.
Want to can it for the shelf? Please use a tested canning recipe from the National Center for Home Food Preservation or Ball. Safe canning depends on the exact recipe and steps, and this one is made for the fridge and freezer.
How do you use apple butter?
Spread it on toast or biscuits, stir it into oatmeal, or serve it with pork chops. It's good on almost anything warm.
Swirl it into plain yogurt.
Spread it on a grilled cheese with sharp cheddar.
Spoon it over vanilla ice cream.
Pour small jars as gifts for neighbors and church friends.
"Thou crownest the year with thy goodness." — Psalm 65:11 (KJV)
Every jar feels like a little piece of that goodness. A whole orchard's worth of fall, saved for a cold morning.
If you are pregnant, nursing, or taking medicine, check with your doctor before drinking herbal tea.
FAQ
Do I have to peel the apples? Peeling gives the smoothest result. You can leave peels on and blend well, but the texture will be a bit thicker.
Can I make apple butter without sugar? Yes. Use very sweet apples and skip the sugar or add a little maple syrup. It will be less dark and keep a bit less time in the fridge.
Why is my apple butter runny? It needs more time uncovered. Cook on low with the lid off and stir every 30 minutes until it thickens.
Can you freeze apple butter? Yes. Freeze it in containers with 1/2 inch of headspace for up to a year. Thaw it in the fridge.
How do you brew rooibos tea? Steep 1 to 2 teaspoons of rooibos in 1 cup of boiling water for 5 to 7 minutes. Add milk and honey if you like.
A cozy closing
I hope your kitchen smells like apples and cinnamon this weekend. It's one of the simple joys of fall.
Make a batch, share a jar, and save one for yourself. Then sit down with a slice of toast and a warm cup of Rooibos.
And if you're stocking up for winter, my October Homestead Checklist and Frugal October Pantry posts can help.
