I mentioned on Monday that we went apple picking. It was a fun family outing but we also came home with 23 pounds of apples. I made the usual things – apple crisp, some apple bars, applesauce and an apple coffee cake. All were yummy. I wanted to try something different this year though so I looked up a recipe for Apple Butter. For some reason it’s a little more on the expensive side to buy so I usually don’t.
I found a recipe to make it in your crock pot at All Recipes. I’m a big crock pot fan so I decided to try it. I told my mom I was doing it so she tried it out too. We both loved it. I made three pint-size jars of apple butter. It was fairly easy but took a LONG time. So, if you’re up for the wait (and a heavenly-scented house) then try it out!
Crock Pot Apple Butter
- 5-1/2 pounds apples – peeled, cored and chopped/shredded
- 4 cups white sugar
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon cloves
- 1 teaspoon nutmeg
- pinch of salt
Directions – Here’s the thing. I didn’t exactly follow the recipe. I used more than 5 pounds of apples but I’m not sure how many. I just filled my crock pot (it reduces by almost half). I also played with the spices a little to make it how I wanted.
- Put the apples in your crock pot. Mix all the other ingredients in a bowl them dump them in with the apples and mix it all up. You can add more sugar or spices part way through if you need to. I like mine extra spicy but if you don’t then you might want to lessen the spices.
- Set it on High for 1 hour then reduce it down to Low for 12+ hours (overnight). You are trying to get it to cook down past the point of applesauce. I read somewhere a great tip on how to tell when it’s done. Scoop out a teaspoonful of it and set it on the counter. If in 5 minutes it hasn’t leaked a ring of water then it’s done. Mine took a VERY long time to get to that point but I’m glad I waited for it.
- When it got to the end I used my hand mixer right in the crock pot to make it even smoother. My mom put hers in the blender which yielded and even smoother butter. It just depends on what you like.
- At that point I used my make-shift canner (a stock pot) to can the apple butter. I made 3 jars and my mom’s made 4. It needs to process in a boiling water canner for 10 minutes. Check out this little slide show about canning high-acid foods. Remember, you don’t need a canner to can
This apple butter is delicious on toast. The girls have also been enjoying dipping cinnamon graham crackers into it. So tasty.
Why I do what I do ~ Chloe won’t let me call it Apple Butter. Every time I say that she tells me it isn’t butter, it’s jelly. It’s definitely not jelly but I’ll concede that argument.
p.s. I realize that the photo of my jar of apple butter is half empty. Let’s face it folks. I grabbed it out of the fridge, snapped a picture and then put it back. That’s life
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{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
Perfectly timed post for me. Just got a box of apples and was hoping to make apple butter which would be a first for me. I am curious about two things:
1. Did you cover the crock pot? Where does all the water go or is it absorbed by the sugar?
2. The canner thing is a blip for me. A stock pot I can get. What do you use for a rack at the bottom?
Thanks.
@NMPatricia – Great questions.
1. Yes, I covered the crock pot for almost the entire time. I took the lid off for the last hour or 2. I assume the water evaporates.
2. I don’t put a rack in the bottom of my stock pot. I’m sure I probably should but I never have and I haven’t had a problem with the jars bouncing around much at all. I’ve canned quite a few times this way and have always had success with it.
you can just put a folded kitchen towel in the bottom of your pot, this works well!
Thanks Nicki. It is blogs like this that make life much sweeter (besides the apple butter!) This information improves my quality of life. Thanks for taking the time for replying so quickly!
I made apple butter twice last season and I’ve found that you really don’t need so much sugar! One batch I sweetened with some honey and it was so good that my mom just ate it out of the jar with a spoon. I think there are some sugar-free recipes around on the ‘net.
@Catherine – You are certainly right that less sugar may be used. I began with 1 cup and then added more part way through. I think it depends a lot on how tart the apples are that you are using. Mine were very tart but if a sweeter apple is used I would definitely use less sugar.
Thanks for this post. I was just thinking the other day how I needed to go apple picking and find a good recipe for Apple Butter. I am going to try this recipe and see how it goes!
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I wanted to thank you for posting this. I used the recipe with half the sugar and it turned out beautifully. I think next time I will use even less.
I didn’t bother canning it, because I’m not sure it will make it to next week. And I don’t know how.
does applebutter freeze well? i would love to make some but i would rather freeze than can.