Not going anywhere for awhile?
No, this is not a recipe for homemade Snickers bars. But, this is a recipe for All Day Apple Butter, which, you may have already surmised, will take you all day to make.
We’re talking 10-12 hours, people. However, there’s only about 30-40 minutes of active cooking time, and the rest is all passive time until you’re ready to blend and jar the finished product.
So, winter storm have you holed up inside? Make apple butter. Have 10 billion loads of laundry to catch up on? *Raises both hands.* Make apple butter. New series on Netflix that you have to binge-watch? MAKE APPLE BUTTER.
This recipe was given to me by a friend who is a fantastic cook, baker, and librarian. We’ve bonded over several things over the years, but one of them is our love of the American Girl series.
Awhile back (umm, like seven years ago, according to the email I unearthed), we were talking about the books, and I revealed that I always wanted to try making apple butter after reading Felicity Learns a Lesson, in which Colonial era Felicity steals away to eat apples on the roof while her mother, sisters, and the cook make apple butter in a large cauldron over a hot fire.
I mentioned how – based on the description of this 1774 culinary adventure, mind you – making aple butter seemed like a lot of work; Felicity spoke with incredible boredom of the hours and hours of stirring needed to ensure the apples didn’t burn.
And my friend was like, “I GOT THIS. Welcome to the modern era. I have a recipe for apple butter that you make in a slow cooker.”
*Cue an angelic chorus* It was like light dawning.
Of course!! A slow cooker! Why didn’t I think of that?! Well, it’s probably because, back in 2011, I wasn’t quite the domestic goddess I am now; my culinarily inclined friend was light years ahead of me.
But, let’s be real. I still probably wouldn’t have thought of the idea on my own, even now.
SO! This brings me to slow cooker All Day Apple Butter. It still takes all day to make, but it removes a large part of the fuss that made Felicity hide on a rooftop.
You don’t have to stir anything, and at the end of the day, you hit it with a stick blender right in the slow cooker pot, and BOOM! You have homemade apple butter.
My friend makes this apple butter overnight; she peels and chops the apples, adds the sugar, and then sets the slow cooker on before she goes to bed so that the longest part of the apple butter process happens while she sleeps. Then, she gets to wake up to the smell of cinnamon and apples in the morning. It’s like living in a Yankee Candle store.
I have made this apple butter overnight, but I prefer not to. If you’re someone like me who has a fear of fires starting – or, if you’ve seen THAT EPISODE of This is Us – you might not be comfortable with leaving a slow cooker unattended while you’re deep in slumber for about 10 hours. I don’t blame you.
I mean, it’s probably okay to cook overnight, since my friend and I have both done it and lived to tell the tale. But, still. I’m not condoning it, because I HAVE seen that episode of This is Us. I don’t want anyone trying it then coming after me, saying “Well, A Well-Read Tart told me this would be safe to do!” So, overnight this apple butter at your own risk.
I prefer to make this recipe first thing in the morning when I wake up. I’m an early riser, so this is a perfect way to start my morning. I make a cuppa tea, have some breakfast, and set to work peeling and chopping apples.
The prep work takes some time, and it does involve wielding a veggie peeler and a large knife, so please do make sure you’re fully awake before you begin apple buttering. (I’m starting to feel like I should have a legal disclaimer for this post…).
If you have the chance, this is a great recipe to make with a friend; you can split the washing, peeling, and chopping duties – and the prep time — in half, and you’ll have plenty of apple butter bounty for both of you to walk away satisfied. I actually end up giving away most of one batch since it’s more apple butter than I can handle at once.
I used Stayman apples for this recipe since I recently went apple picking, and, well, Stayman apples were all they had left! These apples are a little tart, which actually makes them perfect for apple buttering because of the massive amount of sugar that goes into the slow cooker with the apples.
When you’re mixing up the sugars and spice, it’s going to seem like a LOT of sweetness, and it totally is. (I think we all know by now that my blog is not about health.) This apple butter is lusciously smooth and almost creamy, with rich tones of cinnamon, cloves, and brown sugar. The flavors caramelize as the apples cook, and the result is a deliciously spiced spread that tastes great on pretty much anything.
Once it cools, spread the apple butter on a warm piece of Fig and Pepper Bread, or place it on some crackers with slices of cheese. A dollop of it is delicious in oatmeal, and, for a decadent treat, pour slightly warmed apple butter over scoops of French vanilla ice cream.
What’s that you say? It’s the end of November, so you’re already moving away from autumnal flavors and onto Christmas?
Never fear, dear reader. A jar of homemade apple butter is always a welcome holiday gift. You can dress it up with some ribbon and a bow, or you could nestle it into a gift basket of cheeses, nuts, crackers, and fruit.
All Day Apple Butter
Ingredients
- 5 1/2 lbs apples, cored, peeled, and chopped
- 3 cups granulated sugar
- 1 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
- 1/4 tsp salt
Instructions
PREP INSTRUCTIONS
- Peel, core, and chop your apples into small chunks. Place apple chunks in the bowl of the slow cooker.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the granulated sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, cloves, and salt until completely incorporated.
- Pour sugar mixture over the apples in batches, mixing thoroughly with a spatula between batches to ensure all apples are thoroughly coated.
COOKING INSTRUCTIONS
- Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook on HIGH for 1 hour.
- Reduce heat on slow cooker to LOW and cook for 9-10 hours. Stir occasionally.
- After 9-10 hours, apple chunks should have reduced in size and darkened in color. Uncover the slow cooker and continue to cook on LOW for another hour.
- Turn off slow cooker and let apple butter cool for 15-20 minutes. The butter will be lumpy, so use a stick or immersion blender to puree the mixture until it's completely smooth. (You can also use a countertop blender for this step).
- Serve only once the apple butter has completely cooled, or is only slightly warm.
This apple butter looks delicious, and I am shocked that there is no dairy in it (says someone who is highly lactose intolerant).
I am learning so much about slow cookers. We are originally from CT, and while people use slow cookers/crockpots/InstaPots everywhere, they aren’t as big up north vs the south. When we moved to FL, everyone talked about their crock pots all day at work. We finally made the BIG LEAP and bought a crock pot. I am still unfamiliar with it, but we’ve made some pork roasts, a corned beef, pulled pork and chicken, and a ton of soups and stews. I like it but it’s still a stranger.
With that said, I had NO IDEA that you could put apples in a crock or make delicious sounding recipes like this. I swear crock pots are magical or something. I love your picture with apple butter drizzled over ice cream.
I also can’t quite get on board with leaving a crock pot unattended all day like my coworkers. Maybe it was that episode of This Is Us that did me in or the fact that ours definitely boils stuff after 7 hours…and we’ve watched minor food burn happen. If I am working at home, I’m totally good with leaving it on, though. Unattended and out all day…I just CANNOT.
I asked my mom for an Insta Pot for Xmas. She insists on gift giving. Any thoughts on this new magical creation? I’m pretty sure she just sent it in the mail. We needed a better rice cooker, so I’m happy to use it for that.
Ahh, yes, apple “butter” can be misleading! I never thought of that since I grew up always knowing what it was. I think you could fairly call it “jam,” since it’s just as sugary, so I’m not sure why it’s called butter instead of jam. Hmmm.
I have two slow cookers, and years ago, I was very into making EVERYTHING in them. However, after awhile, I felt that everything, particularly meats, started to taste the same, and like “slow cooker.” Then I went through a phase when I couldn’t even look at my slow cooker without gagging. These days, I use it to make big portions of soup, some chicken or beef that I plan to shred and put into something else (like enchiladas or pastry pockets), to keep sauces and chilis warm for parties, and, of course, for making apple butter. And, oh, I’ve had some dishes in the slow cooker burn on the edges, too. More than a few dishes, actually. Which is another reason I don’t like to leave it unattended for more than 2-3 hours. Juuuuust in case!
Anyhoo! I have not yet jumped onto the InstaPot craze. The InstaPot reminds me a lot of a pressure-cooker, the idea of which scares me to death. I don’t want to cook with anything that could potentially explode at me if I don’t release pressure at the right time. And anything that cooks food SO quickly makes me a little suspicious, honestly. So, Imma stick to good, ol’ fashioned pots and pans, and, every now and then, the slow cooker.