Extra apples? This easy slow-cooker apple butter requires minimal stirring and fuss – and makes the house smell wonderful while it bubbles away.
Blame it on baking ADD, but when I spied a few empty jam jars piled next to the basket of homegrown apples, my thoughts quickly turned from classic apple pies and apple frangipane tarts to jars of thick, slow-simmered, spiced apple butter. Since the slow-cooker does most of the work, I was back to baking in no time – while the scent of slow-cooked apples wafted through the house.
Slow-Cooker Spiced Apple Butter
Extra apples? This easy slow-cooker apple butter requires minimal stirring and fuss - and makes the house smell wonderful while it bubbles away.
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. apples
- 2 Tablespoons brown sugar + additional as needed
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon (or ½ teaspoon cinnamon and ½ teaspoon Chinese 5 spice)
Directions
- Peel, core and roughly dice apples. Place in a slow cooker on low. Cover apples with sugar, vinegar, and salt. Optional: wrap the apple peels in cheesecloth and add to the slow cooker for added flavor.
- Give butter a quick stir every hour or so. After cooking for 8 hours, stir in cinnamon and give it a taste. If it’s very tart, consider adding another 2 Tablespoons of brown sugar. Remember: the butter will continue to cook down, concentrating the sweetness, so only add if the butter is very tart.
- Let simmer on low for 10-12 hours total, stirring occasionally until very dark and very thick. Taste and determine if additional brown sugar is needed. To check if butter is done, place a bit on a spoon and move it away from the pot for 2-3 minutes. The apple butter is done if it holds its shape on the spoon.
- Once butter is the correct consistency, add to sanitized jars, seal, and process in a water bath for 5 minutes. This recipe should result in 2 half-pint jars of butter. If you don’t need butter to be shelf-stable, refrigerate. There’s no need to process in the water bath.
Tip: If you don’t have 12 hours in your schedule, no problem. Cook the butter for as long as you can, transfer to the fridge (you can keep it in the dish), and begin again the next day.
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