Slow Cooker Apple Butter will fill your house with the smell of autumn. It’s also the perfect way to use apples you might still have in your fruit bowls or apples you’ve stored away for later in the year.

I found a recipe for Apple Butter in ‘An American Sampler‘, a book written by Patricia Lousada in 1982/83 and have adapted it so that it can be made in a slow cooker, rather than in the traditional way on top of the cooker.

It means you don’t have to stand stirring the mixture continually for up to an hour, but can leave to cook without worrying about it burning.

What I really like about this recipe is that you don’t even have to peel or core the apples – everything can go in!

What is Apple Butter?

Apple butter is a concentrated apple sauce with added spices, there is no butter in sight. It is cooked for longer than apple puree which removes more of the water. This causes it oxidise and caramelise and turn a dark brown colour, resulting in an intense apple flavour.

What you will need to make Slow Cooker Apple Butter

You will of course need a slow cooker, this can be the branded Crock Pot make (the original slow cooker from the 1970s) or any other slow cooker. They are not exactly the same, a Crock Pot typically has a stoneware pot surrounded by a heating element, whereas a slow cooker has a metal pot that sits on top of a heated surface.

You will need a general kitchen sieve. This will be used to push the very soft apples and any cooking liquid through a sieve after cooking overnight.

For the amount I make in this recipe you will need two sterilised jars for bottling and storing the Apple Butter – one 1 pound / 450 grams jar and one ½ pound / 225 grams jar. But it won’t do any harm to sterilise one or two extra jars in case you need them.

How to Sterilise Jars

Sterilising the jars correctly will ensure that bacteria are removed from the jars preventing the Apple Butter from becoming spoiled.

To sterilise the jars wash with hot soapy water, rinse thoroughly and then put them in the oven at 140°C / 120°C fan / Gas Mark 1 on a baking sheet to dry completely.

If you are using Kilner jars, boil the rubber seals separately, as dry heat damages them.

Ingredients you will need to make Slow Cooker Apple Butter

Jump to Printable Recipe Card

• You will need 2 pounds of apples. For this particular version of the recipe I used a mixture of Bramleys, Howgate Wonder (both of which are cooking apples) and Cox’s which are eating apples. I used both cookers and eaters because I wanted to use up what I had. If you have cooking apples use them but it’s also fine to use what you have.
• ¼ pint / 150 mls cider
• Approximately 6 ounces / 165 grams soft brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon of ground cloves
• ¼ teaspoon of ground allspice

Directions

1. Wash and cut your apples into large chunks (no need to peel or core) and place into your slow cooker with the cider. Cook on low until the apples are very soft. I cooked mine overnight.

2. When the apples are soft, push them and any cooking liquid through a sieve. You should have a smooth apple puree with a little peel left in the sieve.

3. Weigh your puree. It should be about 1 pound / 8 ounces / 675 grams. For every 8 ounce / 225 grams add 2 ounces / 110 grams soft brown sugar. Pour into a saucepan and add the spice and cook over a fairly high heat, stirring continuously until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture reaches boiling point.

4. Now return to your slow cooker, set on high and cover with a tea towel under the lid (to absorb any steam) and cook for about two hours, stirring occasionally.

5. After two hours remove lid and test by putting a teaspoon of the mixture on a cold saucer. If it keeps it’s shape the apple butter is ready to put in jars.
6. If the apple butter doesn’t keep its shape then continue to cook with the lid off, stirring and testing every 15 minutes. Mine took about 2 ½ hours.
7. Bottle in sterilised jars when the jars are still hot from the oven after being sterilised.
8. You should need one 1 pound jar / 450 grams jar and one ½ pound jar / 225 grams jar.
9. Store in your fridge.

Slow Cooker Apple Butter

Recipe by Scones Plus More Difficulty: Easy

Prep time

30

minutes

Cooking time

12

hours 

Yield

1 ½

pounds

Total time

12

hours 

30

minutes

Slow Cooker Apple Butter is the perfect way to use up any apples you may still have left in your house.
What I really like about this recipe is that you don’t have to peel or core the apples – just cut the apples into chunks and put the whole thing in the slow cooker.
Cooking Time: 8-10 hours or overnight + 2 to 2 ½ hours to cook the puree.
Total Cooking Time: 10 to 12 ½ hours.
The recipe should yield around 1 ½ pound / 640 grams.

Ingredients

• 2 pounds / 900 grams cooking apples (I used Bramley, Lord Lambourne and Cox’s so if you don’t have cooking apples others will be okay)

• ¼ pint / 150 mls cider

• Approximately 6 ounces / 165 grams soft brown sugar

• 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon

• ¼ teaspoon of ground cloves

• ¼ teaspoon of ground all spice

Directions

• Wash and cut your apples into large chunks (no need to peel or core) and place into your slow cooker with the cider. Cook on low until the apples are very soft. I cooked mine overnight.
• When the apples are soft, push them and any cooking liquid through a sieve. You should have a smooth apple puree with a little peel left in the sieve.
• Weigh your puree. It should be about 1 pound / 8oz / 675 grams. For every 8 ounces / 225 grams add 2 ounces / 110 grams soft brown sugar. Pour into a saucepan and add the spice and cook over a fairly high heat, stirring continuously until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture reaches boiling point.
• Now return to your slow cooker, set on high and cover with a tea towel under the lid (to absorb any steam) and cook for about two hours, stirring occasionally.
• After two hours remove lid and test by putting a teaspoon of the mixture on a cold saucer. If it keeps it’s shape the apple butter is ready to put in jars.
• If the apple butter doesn’t keep its shape then continue to cook with the lid off, stirring and testing every 15 minutes. Mine took about 2 ½ hours.
• Bottle in sterilised jars when the jars are still hot from the oven after being sterilised.
• You should need one 1 pound jar / 450 grams jar and one ½ pound jar / 225 grams jar.
• Store in your fridge.

How to use Slow Cooker Apple Butter

Apple Butter is very good on toast and bread and butter or as a sauce for a Ploughman’s Lunch.

Try using it as a topping for a creamy porridge or as a dip for fresh crunchy vegetables such as celery or carrots, with an accompaniment of cheese of course.

How about Apple Butter with my Apple and Cinnamon Scones? It’s one of my favourites!

Apple Butter works so well with many other foods so if you come up with some combinations of your own please do leave a comment and let me know.

Happy Apple Baking!

Tanya