Make Apple Butter

If you enjoy this tasty twist on jam, but can’t find it available commercially in your area, try making apple butter yourself. It used to be messy and extremely time-consuming to prepare, but if you use a slow cooker it's much easier to make, so you can be eating apple butter in a day! You can also make a much faster version right on your stove!

Ingredients

Stove-Top Apple Butter

• 4 pounds (1.81 kilograms) apples (about 12 medium-sized apples))
• 2 cups (450 grams) sugar
• 2 cups (475 milliliters) apple cider
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon cloves or ground nutmeg

Spiced Crock-Pot Apple Butter

• 6 pounds (2.72 kilograms) apples (about 16 medium-sized apples)
• ¼ cup (60 milliliters) apple cider vinegar
• 1½ cups (340 grams) white sugar
• ½ cup (100 grams) brown sugar
• ½ tablespoon ground cinnamon
• ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
• ½ teaspoon ground allspice

Sweet Crock-Pot Apple Butter

• 6½ pounds (2.95 kilograms) apples (about 19 medium-sized apples)
• ½ cup (115 grams) granulated sugar
• ½ cup (100 grams) packed brown sugar
• 1½ tablespoons ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon (15 milliliters) vanilla extract
• ¼ teaspoon salt

Steps

Making Stove-Stop Apple Butter

1. Wash, peel, core, and quarter the apples. Wash the apples first, then peel them. After this, you can core them using an apple corer, and then cut them into quarters. If you don't own an apple corer, you can cut them into quarters first, then cut the core away with a knife.
2. Put the apples and apple cider into a large pot, bring it to a boil, then simmer it over low heat for 20 minutes. Put the apples into a large pot first, then add the apple cider. Turn the heat up to high, and let the cider come to a boil. Immediately reduce the heat to low, and let the apples and cider simmer for 20 minutes.
3. Add the sugar and spices, return to a boil, then simmer over low heat for 30 minutes. Stir in the sugar and spices, then turn the heat back up to high. Let the mixture come to a boil. As soon as the cider starts to boil, reduce the heat to low, and let the apples simmer for 30 minutes.
   • For a twist, try 1½ cups (300 grams) of brown sugar and ½ cup (115 grams) of white sugar.
   • If you'd like the apple cider to be sweeter, you can add up to 4 cups (900 grams) of sugar.
4. Let the mixture cool for a bit, then mash or purée the apples. Once the apples are soft, take the pot off the stove, and let the mixture cool down a little. You can then mash the apples using a potato masher, or purée them in a blender or food processor.
5. Return the mixture to the pot, and continue cooking it over low heat until it thickens, about 1 hour. The longer you cook it, the thicker it will become. You don't want the apple butter to be too thick, however; the mixture should be reduced by about 40 to 50%.
   • The apple butter may splatter. Consider keeping a splatter screen of sorts over the pot to keep your kitchen clean.
6. Pour the apple butter into jars, leaving ¼ inch (0.64 centimeters) of space. Wipe the mouths of the jars with a clean towel, then put the lids on. Store the jars in the fridge.

Making Spiced Crock-Pot Apple Butter

1. Wash, peel, core, and quarter the apples. Wash the apples first, then peel them. After this, you can core them using an apple corer, and then cut them into quarters. If you don't own an apple corer, you can cut them into quarters first, then cut the core away with a knife.
2. Cook the apples and apple cider vinegar in a crock-pot on "high" for 8 hours. Place the apples into a crock-pot or slow cooker. Pour in the apple cider vinegar, and cover the crock-pot with a lid. Set the heat on high, and let the apples and vinegar cook for 8 hours.
3. Turn the heat down to low, and cook for another 10 hours. You can open up the crock-pot and give the mixture a stir, but you need to leave the lid on while it is cooking.
4. Stir in the sugars and spices, and cook for 4 more hours. Add the white sugar and brown sugar. Then add the ground cinnamon, ground cloves, and ground allspice. Give everything a good stir, then put the lid back on. Cook the mixture for 4 more hours.
5. Blend or purée the apple butter, if desired. If you want your apple butter to be extra smooth, take it out of the crock-pot, and let it cool for about 10 to 15 minutes before puréeing it in a blender or food processor.
6. Pour the apple butter into jars, leaving ¼ inch (0.64 centimeters) of space. Wipe the mouth of the jars clean before putting the lid on. Store the apple butter in the fridge.

Making Sweet Crock-Pot Apple Butter

1. Wash, peel, core, and cut the apples. Wash and peel apples first. After that, you can core them with an apple corer, and then cut them into quarters. If you don't have an apple corer, cut them into quarters first, then slice the cores away with a knife.
2. Mix together the sugars, cinnamon, cloves, vanilla extract, and salt in a large bowl. Stir the sugars, spices, vanilla extract, and salt together until everything is evenly blended and no lumps or clumps remain. This will ensure that the apples get coated with an even amount of everything.
   • For a milder flavor, use just 2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon and ¼ teaspoon of ground cloves. Omit the vanilla.
   • For a more flavorful apple butter, try: 1 tablespoon of ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon of ground nutmeg, ¼ teaspoon of ground cloves, and 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract.
   • For a sweeter apple butter, use 1 cup (225 grams) of white sugar and 1 cup (200 grams) of light brown sugar.
3. Put the apples into a crock-pot or slow cooker, then pour the sugar mixture over them. Use a wooden spoon or a rubber spatula to stir everything together. Be sure to scrape the bottom of the crock-pot so that the apples at the bottom get coated with the sugar mixture too.
4. Cover the crock-pot with a lid, and cook the apple mixture on high 1 hour. This will jump-start the cooking process. Don't worry if your apples haven't turned to "butter" by the time the hour is up.
5. Cook the apples over low heat for 9 to 11 hours, stirring occasionally, until they turn soft and brown. Once the initial hour is up, open up the crock-pot and give the apple mixture a stir. Then, cover the crock-pot again, reduce the heat to "low," and cook for another 9 to 11 hours. From time-to-time, open up the lid, and give the apples a stir.
6. Cook the apples uncovered for 1 more hour over low heat. This will help any excess liquid evaporate, and give you a nice, thick apple butter. If you'd like, you can stir the apple butter with a whisk to make it smoother.
7. Blend or purée the apple butter, if desired. If the apple butter is still not smooth enough for you, take it out of the crock-pot and let it cool for 10 to 15 minutes. Pour it into a blender or food processor, and pulse it until it is smooth.
8. Pour the apple butter into jars, and store them in the fridge. Leave ¼ inch (0.64 centimeters) of space in each jar. Wipe the mouth with a clean towel, then screw the lid on tightly. Store the apple butter in the fridge.
9. Finished.

Tips

• Store the apple butter in the fridge.
• The apple butter will last for about 2 weeks.
• If you know how to can, you can preserve the apple butter for much longer by canning properly instead.
• Experiment with other flavors. Add some honey, maple syrup, ginger, etc.
• Give your canned apple butter away as gifts. Unless you canned it, be sure to tell the recipients that the apple butter must be kept in the fridge, even before opening.
• Apple butter can be frozen in small, plastic containers. Remember to leave space for the apple butter to expand as it freezes.
• Taste your apple butter as you make it, and add more sugar or spices as needed. The flavor will change and become richer as the apple butter cooks.
• There are lots of apple varieties. The ones that work best in apple butter include: Braeburn, Cortland, Fuji, Granny Smith, Gravenstein, Grimes Golden, Jonagold, Jonamac, Ida Red, Liberty, and McIntosh.
• If you are buying apples at a farmers' market, ask the farmer what sort of apple he or she thinks would work best for apple butter.
• You don't have to use just one type of apple in apple butter. You can use different varieties for a more complex flavor.
• Apple butter tastes great on bread or toast, but you can also use it on other stuff, such as: biscuits, cornbread, oatmeal, pancakes, and waffles. You can also use it in cake layers, shortcakes, tarts, and even thumbprint cookies or sandwich cookies.

Warnings

• Unless you canned the apple butter, you must store it in the fridge, even before you open it. Simply pouring the apple butter into a jar does not quite count as canning.
• Apple butter will never be thick and hard like butter made from cow's milk. It will be more liquid-y, sort of like jam.
• You can reuse old jars, but you should always use a new lid, otherwise the jar won't seal properly. This is especially important for those two-part lids.
• If you are using a crock-pot, make sure that your counter can take lots of heat. After so many hours of cooking, the crock-pot may warp a counter.

Things You'll Need

Making Stove-Stop Apple Butter

• Knife
• Apple corer (optional)
• Large pot or saucepan
• Whisk or spoon
• Food processor or blender (optional)
• Jars

Making Spiced Crock-Pot Apple Butter

• Knife
• Apple corer (optional)
• Crock-pot or slow cooker
• Whisk or spoon
• Food processor or blender (optional)
• Jars

Making Sweet Crock-Pot Apple Butter

• Knife
• Apple corer (optional)
• Mixing bowl
• Spoon or rubber spatula
• Crock-pot or slow cooker
• Whisk or spoon
• Food processor or blender (optional)
• Jars

Related Articles

• Make Apple Jelly
• Make Applesauce
• Can Food
• Use a Slow Cooker
• Make Apple Crumble
• Make Apple Strudel

Sources and Citations

See also

• Make Sweet Onion Marmalade
• Make Peach Jam
• Make Simple and Fresh Strawberry Jam
• Make Cinnamon Candy and Maple Syrup Baked Apples
• Make Passionfruit Jam
• Stake an Apple Tree
• Plant Sugar Apples
• Make Herb Jelly
• Make Candy Apples
• Make Jam

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