The fall apple harvest is the perfect time to put this versatile ingredient to use. One of the easiest and tastiest recipes is apple butter. The hardest part of this recipe is the wait. Most apple butter recipes. The best part of the recipe is that you don’t have to peel five pounds of apples to make it. I have found that the peels add extra flavor and contribute to the consistency.
If you have some extra time, you can add a step to the recipe and continue cooking on low, with the slow cooker lid removed. The longer you let the mixture cook, the thicker the apple butter will be ( and the better your home will smell).
Slow Cooker Apple Butter
Equipment
- Slow Cooker
- Blender
Ingredients
- 5 pounds mixed apples, cored (such as Gala, Golden Delicious Granny Smith or Honeycrisp)
- 3 cups sugar
- 1½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
Instructions
- Cut apples into ½ inch cubes (no need to peel apples)
- Add apples and 1 ½ cups of the sugar in a 6-quart slow cooker. Cover and cook on high for 6 hours.
- Stir in cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and remaining 1 ½ cups sugar. Continue cooking on low until apples are very soft, about 4 hours.
- Add half of apple mixture into a blender. Secure lid, remove center piece to allow steam to escape. Place a towel over opening. Pulse until smooth or to desired texture; repeat with remaining apple mixture.
- Let apple butter cool completely, store in an airtight jars in the refrigerator up to 1 month.
Notes
Be sure to read the blending step carefully and use caution. Hot liquids in a blender can quickly become very messy and cause burns.
