Description
This Crock Pot Apple Butter is a rich, smooth homemade spread made with fresh apples, sugar, cinnamon, cloves, and a touch of salt. The slow cooker does most of the work, creating a deeply flavored apple butter that is perfect for toast, biscuits, pancakes, oatmeal, yogurt, or gifting.
Ingredients
5 pounds apples, peeled and chopped
2 to 3 cups granulated sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
1. Add the peeled and chopped apples to the crock pot.
2. Add the sugar, cinnamon, cloves, and salt.
3. Stir until the apples are evenly coated.
4. Cover and cook on High for 5 to 6 hours, stirring occasionally.
5. Continue cooking until the apples are very soft and begin to fall apart.
6. Whisk the cooked apples until mostly smooth.
7. For a completely smooth texture, use an immersion blender or carefully blend in batches.
8. Remove the lid from the crock pot.
9. Continue cooking on High for about 30 minutes to allow excess moisture to evaporate.
10. Let the apple butter cool slightly.
11. Transfer the apple butter to clean mason jars or freezer-safe containers.
12. Leave a little space at the top of each container if freezing.
13. Refrigerate or freeze until ready to use.
Notes
A combination of sweet and tart apple varieties creates a richer flavor.
Adjust the sugar depending on the natural sweetness of the apples and your preference.
You can use anywhere from about 1 to 4 cups of sugar, depending on how sweet you want the apple butter.
Add an extra teaspoon of cinnamon if you prefer a stronger spice flavor.
To cook on Low, cook for 9 to 11 hours, or until the apples fall apart easily.
After cooking on Low, remove the lid and continue cooking for about 1 hour to reduce excess moisture.
For a smoother apple butter, blend with an immersion blender or countertop blender.
Store refrigerated apple butter in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
Freeze remaining apple butter in freezer-safe containers for longer storage.
Thaw frozen apple butter overnight in the refrigerator before serving.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 6 hours
- Category: Condiment
- Method: Slow Cooker
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 tablespoons
- Calories: 57
- Sugar: 13 g
- Sodium: 13 mg
- Fat: 0.1 g
- Saturated Fat: 0.01 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0.024 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 15 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 0.1 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg