Ahhh … fall. Cool nights. Leaves turning vibrant orange and yellow and red. That crispness in the air.  Just this morning, my daughter said, “I can’t wait until we can have the windows open all the time.”

It’s finally here, folks.

I grew up in an area with many orchards and since childhood, apples have been one of my favorite parts of autumn. Now, I realize for a lot of people, pumpkins are the big thing. I like a pumpkin just fine sitting out on the porch, or in pies and bread and muffins—NOT in any type of beverage, thank you…ugh!—but a crisp, juicy apple? That’s LOVE. Without reservation.

One of my favorites: apple butter. But apple butter takes a lot of two things: 1) apples, and 2) time, so it can be expensive for the good stuff. By my definition, that means apple butter without a bunch of ingredients you don’t want to put in little bodies; things like artificial flavors or high fructose corn syrup are definitely on that list.

If you’re like me, the words “apple butter” conjure images of a weary woman—or six—standing over huge cast-iron vats, stirring for endless hours, perspiring heavily and probably wearing a long skirt, with some type of hair scarf. And maybe that’s the reality (skirt and scarf optional) when producing huge quantities, but it doesn’t have to be that way if you’re simply feeding your family. In truth, you only need a few things to make the good stuff at home:  apples, some pantry staples, and a little patience.

You only need a few things to make delicious, all-natural apple butter at home: apples, some pantry staples, and a little patience. Click To Tweet

So gather your supplies and let’s do this!

The first thing you’ll need is your biggest slow cooker. The apples will cook down to ¼ of their original volume, quite possibly less. (For this particular batch, an 8-qt. slow cooker filled with apples yielded just under 6 cups of apple butter.) So I’d suggest a 4-quart model or larger, just to make this worth your time.

Next, you need LOTS of apples. It doesn’t really matter what type you use; any apple you’d eat is good enough to make apple butter. Having said that, a sweet apple like Gala or Fuji will make apple butter that tastes—you guessed it!—sweeter than a batch made with tart apples. Don’t know an Opal from a Granny Smith? Check out the list here to choose which variety to use.

Since I have an 8-quart crock pot, I picked up roughly 14 lbs. of apples at the grocery store but ended up using only 11 lbs., give or take.

Peel and core enough apples to fill your slow cooker all the way to the top. They don’t have to be pretty or sliced perfectly; trust me, they won’t be keeping their shape. If you have one of the fancy corer/peeler gizmos, feel free to use it, but it’s not necessary. Coring and peeling 11 lbs. of apples took me just under 40 minutes; had my kitchen helpers not been otherwise occupied, the time would have been significantly less. Probably. Depending on which helpers were available.

Once you’ve peeled all of the apples, add the following:

(Please note: for the range of measurements given, the smaller amount is for a 4 qt. appliance; the larger, for a 7 or 8 qt. Adjust the amount for the size of your crock pot.)

• 1 – 2 tsp. kosher salt

• 2 – 4 large cinnamon sticks (You can add more, or even boost the flavor with an additional 1–2 tsp. of ground cinnamon if you love it that much!)

• ¼ – ½ tsp. ground clove

• ½ – 1 tsp. ground nutmeg ⇒ Note: if you’ve never tried freshly-ground nutmeg, you are truly missing out. Whole nutmeg is quite affordable and you’ll use less because the flavor is so much more intense than the pre-ground version you buy in the grocery store. You can find whole nutmeg on eBay and Amazon, or specialty sites such as MySpiceSage (a personal favorite).

Measure 1 – 2 Tbsp. vanilla extract (1 Tbsp. for 4-qt.; 2 for 7–8 qt.) and pour into a one-cup measuring cup. Of course, feel free to add more if you’re a fanatic!

For several years, I’ve made our vanilla at home, so I wasn’t aware of how much prices had skyrocketed until I was shopping with a friend recently. We went to find vanilla extract and discovered an 8-oz. bottle was $20 at our local warehouse club! (And apparently the price isn’t going to go down any time soon, either, compliments of a cyclone in Madagascar.) I know it’s tempting to skimp when an ingredient is so expensive, but it’s worth the cost of a tablespoon or two in this recipe!

Top off the vanilla with enough apple juice or cider to make 1 cup, then pour this over the apples, helping distribute the ground spices throughout as you do so. For a larger (7–8 qt.) batch, add another cup of apple juice/cider for a total of 2 cups of liquid.

As you’re reading through the ingredient list, you might notice the absence of sugar. Most apple butter recipes require several cups of white and/or brown sugar. Feel free to add 1 1/2–2 cups if your family prefers sweeter apple butter. When I first started making it, I’d add roughly 1 1/2 cups of brown sugar to a batch prepared in an 8-qt. slow cooker. Over time, I experimented with reducing the sugar gradually and eventually stopped adding it altogether with sweeter varieties of apples.

To be clear: I’m not a card-carrying member of the sugar police. I believe moderate amounts are not harmful. But you’ve eaten an apple, right? Did you think, I sure wish I could add a sprinkle of sugar to this? Not likely. Granted, you may occasionally encounter one that isn’t terribly sweet, but even a tart apple contains substantial amounts of natural sugar, and cooking apples down over many hours concentrates it.

Short version: you can add as much as 1 1/2–2 cups of brown sugar along with the spices. It’s entirely up to you—but I do suggest trying it without. You can always taste the unfinished apple butter and add a bit of sugar later in the cooking process.

Find a convenient space in your kitchen, where you can plug in the slow cooker and leave it for a good, long while.

Cover, turn the heat to HIGH, and let the apples cook for approximately 3 hours. Depending on the type of apple you use, they will have cooked down considerably after 3 hours, by as much as ½ the original volume.

By this time, your house will smell utterly AMAZING. As your family comes and goes during the day, you’ll hear a lot of, “What smells so good?” or “Mom, what are you making?”

Remove the lid of your crock pot, stir the contents, and turn to LOW. Replace the lid. Cook on LOW, stirring infrequently (no more than once every hour or two). Notice the color starting to darken as time goes on.

If your appliance seems to cook at higher heat—models manufactured in recent years DO tend to run hot—and at any point you worry that the apples are beginning to scorch (not simply darken), then stir them and feel free to add a bit more liquid.

Hint: If you start your batch of apple butter in late afternoon or evening, it’s perfectly all right to turn your slow cooker to WARM rather than leave it cooking on LOW overnight. I’ve done this several times with no ill effect.

After 4 hours has passed, your apples should be darker than they were after the first 3 hours of cooking, but the consistency will be too thin for apple butter. Stir the apples, then set the cover off-center to allow steam to escape. Cook on LOW with the top ajar, stirring occasionally, for a minimum of 5 additional hours, continuing until your apple butter is a dark, rich brown color.

Remember when I mentioned patience in the list of things you’d need for this endeavor? This is where that “ingredient” comes in. (And again, at any point you can turn your crock pot to WARM, replace the lid, and continue in the morning, when you return from running errands, after your child’s dental appointment, etc.) This stage—cooking with the cover ajar—can take anywhere from 5–12 hours, and possibly even more. On occasion, my apple butter has required 24 hours of total cooking time, start to finish. The larger your batch, the longer it will take.

Simply put, if the color is not yet dark enough or if it is still too watery, continue cooking on LOW with the top ajar until the desired color/consistency is achieved. Then, turn off the appliance & allow the apple butter to cool, and remove the cinnamon.

Using a wire whisk, briskly stir the apple butter until it is smooth. This usually takes no more than 30 seconds – 1 minute. You overachievers could use an immersion blender, if you prefer.

Spoon the cooled apple butter into airtight containers. It can be placed directly into the refrigerator for immediate use, or frozen for later. (I usually make several batches during peak apple season, and freeze them for our family to eat throughout the year.) Thaw frozen apple butter in your fridge, then stir it gently before serving to incorporate any liquid that may separate during freezing/thawing.

And there you have it:  autumn on a spoon—also known as homemade apple butter—with no corn syrup, preservatives, or artificial anything. It’s gluten-free, as well, assuming your spices don’t contain any additives or anti-caking agents. 

You can download a PDF of our  Slow-Cooker Apple Butter printable recipe … and please leave us a comment below if you try this method! I’d love to know if your family likes it, and if you have any ideas, tips or observations to share.

SLOW-COOKER APPLE BUTTER

Ingredients:

• Apples, any variety, cored and peeled (enough to fill your largest slow cooker to the top)
• 1–2 tsp. kosher salt (1 for a 4-qt. slow cooker; 2 for 7 – 8 qt.)
• 2–4 large cinnamon sticks (Adjust depending on the size of your slow cooker. Feel free to add more, or even an additional 1–2 tsp. of ground cinnamon if you really love the flavor!)
• ¼ – ½ tsp. ground clove (¼ for 4-qt. slow cooker; ½ for 7 – 8 qt.)
• ½ – 1 tsp. ground nutmeg (½ for 4-qt. slow cooker; 1 tsp. for 7 – 8 qt.)
• 1 – 2 Tbsp. vanilla extract (1 for 4-qt.; 2 for 7 – 8 qt.)
• 1 – 2 c. apple juice or cider (<1 c. for 4-qt.; 2 c. for 7 – 8 qt.)

Active prep time:  30–45 minutes

Cooking time:  12+ hours

Instructions:

Core and peel apples to fill your largest slow cooker. Add kosher salt, cinnamon sticks, clove & nutmeg. Measure vanilla, pour into 1-c. measuring cup, then add juice or cider to fill. Pour over apples. For large (7–8 qt.) slow cookers, add another cup of juice or cider.

Cover & cook on HIGH for 3 hours. Stir, reduce to LOW & continue cooking the apples, stirring infrequently. After 4 hours, stir the apples, set the cover ajar to allow steam to escape & continue cooking on LOW until the desired color/consistency is achieved. (Usually 5–12 hours, but possibly more.) Cool, remove the cinnamon sticks, then whisk to a smooth consistency.

Spoon into an airtight container. Can be refrigerated immediately, or frozen until ready to use.

 

Download the Slow-Cooker Apple Butter printable recipe .