I have old apple trees at my house. Every year, they produce a large crop of tart little apples (not great for snacking) – this is my favorite thing to do with them!
Alexis’s Apple Butter
Ingredients:
3 Lbs Apples (Soft Varieties)
Cup Light Brown Sugar, Packed, plus more to taste
1 Tbsp Cinnamon
1 tsp Nutmeg
1 tsp Allspice
1 tsp Ground Clove
½ Tbsp Ginger
A Pinch of Salt
¾ Cup Apple Cider (Or apple juice)
Directions:
Wash, core, and chop your apples. Peel them or don’t – it’s up to you! I’ve done both ways, and it doesn’t affect the taste or texture.
Dump everything into your slow cooker and stir until all the apples are well-coated.
Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours (or overnight) – you want your apples to break down as much as possible – at minimum, you should be able to break them apart with a spoon or spatula.
Transfer the cooked apples into a food processor or blender and puree. You may have to do this in batches like I do! You want an applesauce consistency.
Give your apple butter a taste for sweetness and seasoning at this stage – add in more sugar or spice if needed.
Transfer the butter back into the crock pot, and cook on high without the lid for an hour or two to thicken. You will need to stir occasionally so nothing sticks to the pot.
Your apple butter is done when it sits on the end of a spoon or knife in a nice little pile without sliding off – you want it to be a spread instead of a sauce. It’s not quite as thick as peanut butter, but a little thicker than store-bought jam.
Let it cool completely, and store it in airtight jars in the fridge or freezer!
Enjoy! Here are some of my favorite ways of using it:
- As a hostess gift at get-togethers
- On toast (sometimes with peanut butter)
- As a spread on charcuterie boards
- With pork – either as a glaze on a tenderloin or in place of applesauce with chops
- Mixed into apple crumb bars
- In mini pies/toaster pastries (all you need is pie crust!)
Let me know how you use this apple butter!
