Description
Make rich, deeply spiced apple butter easily in your slow cooker. This recipe yields a smooth, spreadable preserve perfect for fall flavors.
Ingredients
Scale
- 6 pounds apples (like Honeycrisp or Fuji), peeled, cored, and quartered
- 1 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Place the prepared apples into the basin of a 6-quart or larger slow cooker.
- Pour the apple cider vinegar over the apples.
- Cook on low for 8 hours, or on high for 4 hours, until the apples are very soft. Stir occasionally.
- Carefully transfer the cooked apples and liquid to a blender or use an immersion blender to process until completely smooth. Work in batches if necessary.
- Return the smooth apple mixture to the slow cooker.
- Stir in the brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, cloves, allspice, nutmeg, and salt.
- Cook on low, uncovered, for another 2 to 4 hours, stirring every 30 minutes. The mixture will darken significantly and thicken to a spreadable consistency.
- If you prefer a very thick butter, remove the lid for the last hour.
- Transfer the apple butter to clean jars for storage or immediate use.
Notes
- For a no-peel method, cook the apples for an extra 2 hours before blending; the skins should separate easily.
- If you do not have a slow cooker, you can make this on the stovetop over low heat for 3 to 4 hours, stirring frequently to prevent scorching.
- For canning, process filled, sterilized jars in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes to seal.
- Prep Time: 30 min
- Cook Time: 10 hours
- Category: Preserves
- Method: Slow Cooking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/4 cup
- Calories: 145
- Sugar: 35
- Sodium: 5
- Fat: 0.1
- Saturated Fat: 0
- Unsaturated Fat: 0
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 37
- Fiber: 1.5
- Protein: 0.2
- Cholesterol: 0