Crock Pot Apple Butter Recipe

Got a bunch of apples? Here's an easy way to use up the season's finest!

This will take awhile; about 15 hours. I had it all ready in the crock pot at about 9:30 p.m.

You'll need about 10 medium - large apples. I used Cortland. You could probably use any variety or a mixture of what you have on hand.

And a super colossal apple for good luck!

Just kidding about that last part! I don't think you need luck; this recipe is pretty foolproof. This apple was just a giant!

Peel, core and slice up the apples to fill your crock pot. Really pack 'em in there! It's going to cook down quite a bit.

Pour one cup of unsweetened apple juice (mine is from cider pressing) plus two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar over the apples.

Cover and cook on low for about 10 hours.

In the morning it looks like this:

Give it a good stir!

Turn the lid so steam can escape. It will continue to cook down even more.

After 4 hours add a little sugar, and spice, and everything nice!

Stir and cook for one more hour. (In this time you can prepare all the items for canning if you plan to can it like I did.) Then use a blender/food processor/immersion blender to give it an even texture. ( You can skip this step if you'd like it a little more rustic.)

I'm not going to go into too much detail on the canning part, I'm not a pro at it....yet. This was my first solo canning and it worked well for me. I found some good information on this site.

I found these at Target last week in a clearance section! Very helpful!

After the jars were sterilized, I poured the apple butter straight from the blender into the jars. I was able to fill six 8oz jars.

Then put the lids and bands on the jars and process for 15 minutes.

After the water bath take them out and wait for the pops to know they're sealed.

Enjoy on toast, muffins, bagels, as a yogurt mix-in, in sauces for meat, etc.

Crock Pot Apple Butter

Time: 15 hours
Makes: about 6 cups

10 medium - large apples (about 16-17 cups)
1 cup of unsweetened apple juice
2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon of cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice - or mix of nutmeg and cloves (I'm so embarrassed ... seriously why don't I have nutmeg or cloves in my pantry?!?)
1 tablespoon of brown sugar (add more or less to your tastes)

1. Peel, core and cut up apples to fill crock pot.
2. Pour unsweetened apple juice and apple cider vinegar over apples.
3. Cook on low for about 10 hours. (you don't have to precise with the timing)
4. Stir and turn lid so steam can escape. Cook for another 4 hours.
5. Stir in cinnamon, vanilla, spices and brown sugar. Cook for one more hour.
6. Blend to create even texture.
7. Divide into your choice of food storage (canning jars, freezer containers, Tupperware)

Let me know if you have any questions. I'll try to answer them to the best of my knowledge.

Here's a little behind the scenes of the styling! One of the kitties really wanted to help...

P.S. Want some free printable canning labels? Check out my post from earlier this week for some "spread the love" labels.