Nothing tastes like fall more than some fresh apple butter! I originally got this recipe from a coworker back when I worked at REI.

Once you get the basic process down you can adjust the spices and honey to your preference and play around with your apple varieties. I typically use Gala, Fuji, or Honeycrisp apples.

When I first made apple butter I would peel the apples as well as core and slice them. Unfortunately my corer/peeler/slicer doesn’t work very well unless the apples are extremely fresh and firm. If they are soft at all the corer pushes straight through and any hope of slicing and peeling is gone.

One year, mostly out of desperation after fighting with the corer/peeler/slicer, I tried just coring and slicing the apples into chunks and left the peels on. The apple butter turned out fine and I was thrilled to find an easier way to make it.

I’ve since found that running an immersion blender through the apple butter makes leaving the peels on even less of an issue. It still comes out smooth, and I get the added boost of fiber from the peels.

If you’ll be storing the apple butter pressure canning is best, but more likely it will be long eaten before storing methods are a concern. I water bath seal mine and keep them in the fridge. For longer storage water bath canning and then freezing them also works well.

Slow Cooker Apple Butter

Yield: 6 half pint jars

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 6 hours

Total Time: 6 hours 10 minutes

Smells and tastes like fall!

Ingredients

12 +/- apples
1 TBSP Ground Cinnamon
1 TSP Nutmeg
1 TSP Clove
1 TSP Ginger
1/2 Cup raw honey

Instructions

Core all your apples
Fill your crockpot just over the brim with the apples. It will settle as it cooks so it won't overflow
Stir in spices
Cook apples on medium to high for 6-8 hours stirring occasionally
When apples are mush use an immersion blender to get them totally smooth
Strain to get excess juices out. (The strained liquid can be saved to make spiced apple cider)
Mix in honey
Portion into mason jars
Water bath seal the jars or freeze till ready to use. Technically needs pressure canning to be shelf stable due to the low acidity.