Make up a batch of classic apple butter in your slow cooker with this delicious 4-ingredient recipe! Serve finished apple butter on toast, spooned over yogurt or even make apple butter fruit leather!
Prep Time30 minutesmins
Cook Time7 hourshrs
Total Time7 hourshrs30 minutesmins
Course: Canning
Cuisine: American
Keyword: 10 Ingredients Or Less, 5 Ingredients Or Less, Apple, Apple Butter, Apple Cider, Cinnamon, Healthy
Place apples and apple cider in a 6 quart or larger slow cooker.
Cover and cook apples on LOW for 5 hours until apples are starting to "smoosh" just when you stir them.
Using an immersion blender, puree the apples right in the slow cooker until very smooth and there are no lumps. You want the apple butter to be super smooth.
Add cinnamon and cloves to the pureed apples and stir to mix the spices in.
Recover and continue to cook on LOW for 2 to 3 more additional hours with the lid propped open slightly with a wooden spoon to allow additional moisture to evaporate. The apple butter is done with it coats the back of a spoon.
Can apple butter in sterilized jars using the water bath method for 10 minutes OR freeze or refrigerate.
Notes
Once the apples are cooked and you have added the cinnamon and cloves go ahead and give your apple butter a taste to see if it is sweet enough for you. Some varieties of apples are on the tart side and not very sweet. At this point you can add a little additional sweetener such as sugar (white or brown sugar) or your favorite sweetener (honey, agave nectar, Splenda, stevia, etc.) Add sweetener a little at a time, stir it in and taste to your sweetness level. I personally do not like my apple butter super sweet.This recipe makes about 8 pints of apple butter with a serving size of 1 tablespoon.