Slow Cooker Apple Butter (Spiced & Dark)

Slow Cooker Apple butter is the perfect spiced dark spread for just about anything you desire. Toast, muffins, pancakes, waffles, biscuits, etc. You can also use it in baking.

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Why You’ll Love This

This apple butter recipe is so easy to make in a slow cooker you will never buy it from the store again. It’s less expensive, and you control the ingredients in homemade apple butter.

This crockpot apple butter is heavenly, spiced with cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice. Your house will smell amazing while this is cooking.

Kick up that morning toast by slathering this apple butter on a warm piece of sourdough toast or regular white toast.

With the spread, you can also make this moist and delicious apple butter bread.

What You’ll Need

• Fresh apples – We use a mix of Gala and Granny Smith apples. Varieties of apples such as Honeycrisp, Fuji, Pink Lady, Cortland, and McIntosh all will work. Choose your favorite apples.
• Granulated sugar and dark brown sugar – You can also use light brown sugar, but I like the added depth of the molasses flavor.
• Ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, ground cloves, ground allspice, vanilla extract, and salt – These combined seasonings make the apple butter sing with flavor!

How to Make Slow Cooker Apple Butter (spiced & dark)

Peel, core, and slice 6 1/2 pounds of apples.  (I used an equal mix of Gala and Granny Smith apples)  

Do yourself a favor and get one of these apple slicers to save a lot of time!

This recipe will make a small batch, about 3 pints.

Place the apples in the slow cooker. In a medium bowl, combine the granulated sugar, dark brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg cloves, and salt.

Or throw it on top of the apples and stir.

Cover and cook on low for 10 hours. Use an immersion blender to blend until smooth. You can also use a regular blender or food processor, but I suggest doing it in batches.

Remove the lid and continue to cook for another 2 hours until your desired thickness and color.  

Add the vanilla and stir. Place it into your desired containers.

This year I decided to water bath the jars.  I have frozen it in mason jars in previous years, and that works just fine. Either way, it’s your choice.

Apple butter canned in sterile jars will last almost indefinitely.

See simplycanning for canning in a water bath.  This also worked perfectly! I was proud of my first canning project (patting myself on the back).

I have an 8qt pressure cooker that I used for this project.  I didn’t pressure can them I just used the pot for the large capacity.  You don’t want your jars to touch during the process.

Share this homemade apple butter with friends and family!

Tips

• You can water bath can or freeze the apple butter for longer storage.
• When using the immersion blender, you get to control how smooth or chunky you want it to be. You don’t have to make it completely smooth; that’s just how we like our apple butter.
• Don’t have an immersion blender? Use a blender and do it in batches.

Variations

Instead of our spice mix, try using apple pie spice or even pumpkin pie spice.

FAQ

More Delicious Apple Recipes

Classic Apple Crisp with Oat Topping

Apple Strudel In Puff Pastry

Easy Puff Pastry Apple Turnovers

Slow Cooker Apple Butter Recipe (spiced & dark)

A perfect spread for just about anything! But on a biscuit is a must.

5 from 1 vote

Print Pin Rate

Course: Jam, Sauce, Spread

Cuisine: American

Keyword: apple butter, crock pot, slow cooker

Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 17 hours hours

Total Time: 17 hours hours 30 minutes minutes

Servings: 96

Calories: 33kcal

Author: Leigh Harris

Ingredients

 

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• 6 1/2 pounds apples – peeled, cored, and sliced
• 1 cup granulated sugar (I used 3/4 cup)
• 1 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed (I used 3/4 cup)
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

Instructions

• Place the apples in a slow cooker.
  6 1/2 pounds apples – peeled, cored, and sliced
• In a medium bowl, combine sugars, cinnamon, nutmeg cloves, and salt.
  1 cup granulated sugar, 1 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed, 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg, 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves, 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice, 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Pour the mixture over the apples and mix well.
• Cook in slow cooker on low for about 10 hours, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is dark brown and starting to thicken.
• Use an immersion blender to puree the apple butter until smooth. Continue to cook uncovered on low for about 2 hours, to remove most of the moisture. (you want a dark brown, thick mixture)
• Stir in vanilla.
  1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• Spoon the mixture into sterile containers, cover and refrigerate for up to two weeks or freeze.
• Serve on slices of bread, muffins, pork chops or just eat it with a spoon.

Notes

The amount of sugar will depend on the sweetness of your apples. I only used 3/4 cup white sugar and 3/4 cup brown sugar.

This makes 3 pints. The serving size was calculated as 1 tablespoon.

You can use any type of apple. Choose your favorite crisp, sweet apples. Mix and match using Gala, Fuji, Honeycrisp, Pink Lady, McIntosh, Jonagold, etc. Add in a few Granny Smith apples.

Storing – Apple butter stored in a lidded jar in the refrigerator will last about 1 month.

Freezing – Leave some room at the top of the jar for expansion and allow it to cool completely before freezing. In the freezer, the apple butter will last 6 months to possibly 1 year.

 

Nutrition

Calories: 33kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 7mg | Potassium: 36mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 17IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 5mg | Iron: 1mg

Adapted from mybakingaddiction

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