Crockpot Apple Butter

Last week we went up to Loveland to have dinner with my family. As we were pulling into my sister’s driveway, I couldn’t help but notice the huge apple tree in her backyard. I was so excited when she handed us a bag and told us to take what we wanted.

It helps having a tall guy around.

My niece, McKenna, holding up the perfect apple!

 Our Bounty

I really wish we had weighed the bag of apples or at least counted them. Sadly, we did not. Instead, my focus was on how I was going to use all of them before they started rotting. The apples were only about 2-1/2 inches in diameter, some with bad spots, so my first thought was Apple Butter.

I grew up eating Apple Butter on french toast. In fact, I remember having french toast at a friend’s slumber party when I was younger. I found it strange that my friends were pouring maple syrup over their french toast instead of Apple Butter. Needless to say, I was the strange one (nothing new…ha ha!). Anyway, to this day, when I make french toast I like to spread a good layer of Apple Butter on top. Usually I just use the stuff from the store, but I now have several containers in the freezer thanks to my extra large basket of hand-picked apples. Here’s how I turned my bounty in to Apple Butter.

 The line-up of ingredients . . .Apples (approximately 6 quarts or enough to fill a large Crockpot), 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, and 4 cups of sugar or less.

I would recommend that you use a variety of different apples. The first time I made apple butter  I used only golden delicious. Another time I combined macintosh, gala, and granny smith. I believe the apples from the tree are close to a gala apple since they were on the sweeter side. We ended up using about 5 quarts of the apples from the tree. I then added a couple of gala and honey crisp apples that I had on hand. Use your own judgment about the types of apples you use and how many of each kind you use. How much sugar you use will depend on the sweetness of the apples.

Prepping  Peel, core, and finely chop the apples.

Fill the Crockpot heaping full of apples (the lid may not fit but apples will shrink as they cook) and drizzle sugar over the top.

Begin with less sugar, especially if you are using sweet apples. I started with 2-1/2 cups of sugar.

Add cinnamon, cloves, and salt.

 Stir together, place lid on top, turn the Crockpot on low, and go to bed.

Okay, the last step is completely optional. Because it takes several hours for the apple butter to cook, it made sense to me to let it cook overnight while I got my beauty sleep. My house smelled wonderful the next morning. The beauty thing . . .well, we won’t talk about that!

I put this batch in the Crockpot around 11 pm and about 14-1/2 hours later it was ready to go in the freezer.

The transformation . . .After 7 hours of cooking.

One minute later after stirring the apples. Notice the shrinkage!

After 9-1/2 hours of cooking.

After 11-1/2 hours of cooking. I used my potato masher to begin breaking down apples even further. I also added another half cup of sugar.  

 Ready to go after 13 hours of cooking.

 I let it cool for an hour before placing in the freezer containers.

This is my first time using the freezer containers (8 oz containers made by Ball). In the past I’ve actually used different size jars and canned the apple butter. Either way works great. Personally, I wanted to save a little time and since I have a deep freezer this was the way to go.

All divvied up and ready to freeze I serious wish I’d had a biscuit to slather this stuff on. I settled for licking it directly off the spoon.

 Made with love . . .Since I plan on sharing this batch with others, I went ahead and made some labels (okay, it was a great excuse to use my Xyron Creative Station). And, how sweet that we made this on our 2-year wedding anniversary. Everybody say it. . . .Ahhhh!!

And, there you have it . . . Homemade Apple Butter. Easy peasy in the freezy! Yep, it’s been a long day and I am slap happy. I hope you enjoy!

Crockpot Apple Butter               Printable Recipe

Ingredients:        Apples (approximately 6 quarts or enough to fill the Crockpot)    4 cups of sugar or less       1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon    1/4 teaspoon ground cloves    1/4 teaspoon of salt. Directions: 1. Peel, core, and finely chop the apples. 2. Fill the Crockpot heaping full of apples (the lid may not fit but apples will shrink as they cook). 3. Drizzle sugar over the top (sweet apples require less). 4. Add cinnamon, cloves, and salt. 5. Stir together, place lid on top, and turn the Crockpot on low. 6. Cook until thick and dark in color. 7. Place in small jars or freezer containers. Leave enough room for expansion. 8. Cool and freeze. Notes: Use your own judgment about the types of apples you use and how many of each kind you use. How much sugar you use will depend on the sweetness of the apples. Begin with less sugar, especially if you are using sweet apples. Taste the mixture mid-way through cooking to determine whether or not you need more sugar. If desired, use a potato masher  near the end of cook time to further break down the apples. If you are using jars, make sure you follow the directions for canning and storing.