Apple, apples, apples…I’ve been seeing apples everywhere. What started out with making pie filling turned into much more. Apple butter is not really butter as it suggests, it’s just spreadable like butter. Today I’m sharing this delicious apple butter made in the slow cooker, it couldn’t get any easier, well unless you bought some but that’s not in the vocabulary here.
All you do is chop up or slice apples and dump them into the slow cooker with some other yummy ingredients and put the lid on then walk away for 10-12 hours. After 10-12 hours stir well and use an immersion blender to blend up, add spices, scrape vanilla bean then put lid on and walk away for another 10-12 hours. The results are this deep amber color of concentrated apple goodness with warm spices in spreadable form. Apple butter is fantastic on toast of any kind, biscuits, scones or stirred into oatmeal. Apple butter would be a wonderful gift to give to friends or teachers.
Apple butter {made in the slow cooker}
4.5 pounds apples preferably tart type
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup raw honey
1 1/3 cup apple juice
1 vanilla bean
1/2 tablespoon ground cinnamon
freshly grated nutmeg to taste
pinch of ground cloves
Directions:
Step 1: Slice apples thin leaving skins on and put into the slow cooker. Add the brown sugar, honey, apple juice and vanilla bean, put lid on slightly askew to vent the steam. Cook 10-12 hours. You may stir once to get the vanilla bean soaking into the apple liquid.
Step 2: After 10-12 hours stir and pull out the vanilla bean and scrape the seeds out of the bean then discard the pod. The vanilla seeds go back into the apples along with the cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves stir well. If you have an immersion blender then blend the apples in the slow cooker. If not then us can put in a conventional blender but be careful it’s hot and you don’t want to have the lid fly off, follow manufacturer’s directions. Put the apple butter back into slow cooker is you used the conventional blender. Cook for another 10-12 hours with lid askew.
Step 3: When the apple butter is done you will be surprised at how little there is in the cooker now. To can the apple butter put into clean sterilized half pint jars and put lid on and can in water bath for 10 minutes. If you are new to canning check the Ball website out for the basics.
Makes: 5 half pints
I haven’t liked apple butter since I was a pre schooler. I suspect I ate some bad goop and that was that. But even though the world was flat then, I like it now. It proves that old adage that you can teach an old dog new tricks. Part of the charm for me for this version is using the slow cooker. That so works in the time line of my life.
Carol you are so funny. I was a late start for trying apple butter , I think I was married before I ever heard of it. I’m making up for lost time now 🙂 slow cookers, crock pots are the best aren’t they.
I have a fondness for apple butter, literally fell in love after one bite 😀
Bookmarked recipe!
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
Thank you Uru, hope you get to try it out!