Prize Winning Apple Butter -Easy Slow Cooker Recipe. Goes great with sweet or savory dishes. You choose! Nice for gifts too!
Prize Winning Slow Cooker Apple Butter is a delicious recipe and has been generously shared by one of our Lovefoodies supporters, Cathy Kopp.
Cathy is always cooking delicious Homemade dishes and just loves to cook. Cathy has lots of different canning recipes, such as Pickled Pepper Rings, and Homemade Canned Chili.
Here, Cathy's prize-winning slow cooker Apple Butter is incredibly easy and is certainly popular with her boys!
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It's easy to do, let your slow cooker do all the work and at the end, you have delicious Apple butter. Cathy entered her Apple Butter into the Wayne County Fair and won first prize, so many congratulations! It sure is a winner recipe!
For those who have never tried apple butter, you must! How would you eat it? Well, some people use it as a spread, like you would jam, on bread or toast. You can use it to make cakes, such as our applesauce brownie cake. (It uses apple butter instead of fat in the recipe!), and you can also use it to have alongside some delicious roast pork and crackling as a side sauce too!
Making slow cooker apple butter is a great way of preserving apples, using the canning method. Apple Butter is popular around Fall time when there's an abundance of delicious sweet and juicy apples, so make a batch and give away as gifts at Christmas time! It's hard to find a good apple butter in the grocery stores, especially one which has no added preservatives or artificial additives, so homemade is the way to go for a great tasting and nutritious apple butter.
So let's get straight to the recipe and see how we make this prize winning slow cooker apple butter recipe! Please enjoy!
Recipe by Cathy Kopp
Prep Time
25 minutes
Cook Time
22 hours
Yield
5.5 pints
Ingredients
12 pounds Golden Delicious apples - peeled, cored and sliced
½ cup apple cider vinegar
3 cups white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground allspice
Instructions
1. Place apples and vinegar in a large slow cooker, and place lid on top.
2. Set on High, and cook for 8 hours, then turn to Low, and continue cooking 10 hours more.
3. After 18 hours, stir in white sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, cloves, and allspice, and cook 4 hours more.
My Notes:
This is easy, easy, easy! The most difficult part is peeling the apples and then getting them all to fit in the crockpot.
I made it according to the directions above. In the future, I will reduce the amount of white sugar and the amount of cinnamon.
In my case I canned the apple butter. See below for instructions how to do that if you are not sure.
Canning Guide
1. Fill the hot boiled jars with the hot apple butter. Leave a space of about ¼ inch (0.5 cm) of top of jar. Wipe jar rim removing any food residue. Centre hot sealing disc on clean jar rim. Screw band down. Place jars back in the canner (boiling pot). Ensure that all jars are covered by at least one inch (2.5 cm) of water. Cover canner and bring water to full rolling boil before starting to count processing time. At altitudes up to 1000 ft (305 m), process – boil filled jars – 10 minutes.
2. When processing time is complete, turn stove off, remove canner lid, wait 5 minutes, then remove jars without tilting and place them upright on a protected work surface. Cool upright, undisturbed 24 hours; DO NOT RETIGHTEN screw bands.
3. After cooling check jar seals. Sealed discs curve downward and do not move when pressed. Remove screw bands; wipe and dry bands and jars. Store screw bands separately or replace loosely on jars, as desired. Label and store jars in a cool, dark place. For best quality, use home canned foods within one year.
Note : I boil by jars before and after. Also altitude is important.
This is the altitude chart for guidance, Click HERE to see it.
The ingredients proportions are from Bernardin. The jars come with a little recipe book sometimes and fruit proportion has been taken from there as well as some of the boiling instructions.
NOTE: Please be aware that recipes shared by readers of this page are not endorsed, checked or tested by Lovefoodies. Always follow USDA home canning recommendations.
We'd love to hear from you and what you thought of our post. Did you make any changes or add some other goodies? Let us know in the comments below. Thanks for reading and happy cooking!
Why not try our popular Apple sauce and Walnut Brownie Cake (simply swap the apple sauce for Cathy's apple butter! )
Recipe Card
Prize Winning Slow Cooker Apple Butter
Prize Winning Apple Butter -Easy Slow Cooker Recipe. Goes great with sweet or savory dishes. You choose! Nice for gifts too!
Ingredients
- 12 pounds Golden Delicious apples - peeled, cored and sliced
- ½ cup apple cider vinegar
- 3 cups white sugar
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 teaspoon ground allspice
Instructions
- Place apples and vinegar into a large slow cooker, and place lid on top.
- Set on High, and cook for 8 hours, then turn to Low, and continue cooking 10 hours more.
- After 18 hours, stir in white sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, cloves, and allspice, and cook 4 hours more.
Recommended Products
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Ninja Auto-iQ Multi/Slow Cooker with 80-Pre-Programmed Auto-iQ Recipes for Searing, Slow Cooking, Baking and Steaming with 6-Quart Nonstick Pot (CS960) -
Instant Pot DUO Plus 60, 6 Qt 9-in-1 Multi- Use Programmable Pressure Cooker, Slow Cooker, Rice Cooker, Yogurt Maker, Egg Cooker, Sauté, Steamer, Warmer, and Sterilizer
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 30 Serving Size: 5 ½ pintsAmount Per Serving: Calories: 206Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 6mgCarbohydrates: 51gFiber: 5gSugar: 44gProtein: 1g
Delicious Recipes Using Apples
Here's a lovely selection of recipes using apples.
Apple Frangipane. This is a really nice coffee time cake to make. Goes great with a nice cup of tea! Or you can have as a dessert, warm or cold with a squirt of whipped cream or like me, a blob of vanilla ice cream! It's really yummy! Delicious!
Easy Apple Spiced Turnovers. Delicious warm from the oven! Crispy puff pastry packed with apples coated in cinnamon. Great eaten warm or chilled with a blob of ice cream!
Apple and Pumpkin Muffins! These breakfast muffins are full of the flavors of Fall with pumpkin, apple and cinnamon with a delicious streusel topping. A really easy recipe and that topping is so good!
Easy Apple Angel Dump Cake, so delicious with a blob or two of ice cream! Easy recipe and quick to make. Oven or slow cooker, you choose!
Apple Fritters. Yum! Slices of apple in a crispy light batter then coated in cinnamon sugar. Served warm with a drizzle of syrup, honey or a blob of ice cream.. makes for a perfect dessert! Quick and easy recipe too!
Apple and Cranberry Crescent Roll Cream Cheese Bars. An incredibly easy recipe with fantastic flavors!
Dutch Apple Pudding with Butterscotch Sauce, this is a delicious dessert, wonderful served warm. Lovely chunks of apple, laced with cinnamon and then served with a drizzle of warm butterscotch sauce.
Dutch Apple Pie! Loaded with apples, raisins, cinnamon and the most delicious pastry I've ever eaten! Be sure to have a lovely cup of coffee to go with a slice of pie in true Dutch tradition!
Delicious Apple Crumble Pie Bars. These are absolutely out of this world! Chunks of apple pie filling on a lovely shortbread base and topped off with a delicious crumble. Really easy recipe too!
Mini Caramel Apple Pastries. Delightful mini pastries filled with caramel and apples and oh so easy to make!
Mom's Homemade Apple Pie. A wonderful old family recipe, simple ingredients, easy to make and delicious every time! Perfect for a regular family dessert, or to take to pot lucks, Thanksgiving, or anytime!
Amazing Toffee Apple Cake, a delicious cake recipe made from scratch bursting with the flavors of Fall. Perfect for Thanksgiving and Christmas too!
Nanny Pat's Special Apple Pie
This apple pie is an old family recipe and always very popular, especially for those who prefer a crustless pie!
German Style Fluffy Apple Pancakes. Delicious, quick and easy recipe and these are certainly fluffy! Serve warm with a sprinkling of sugar and a dash of cinnamon.
Fluffy Apple Swirl Pudding - A wonderful bread and butter dessert, best served warm with a drizzle of Maple Syrup or a blob of ice cream..or both!
Mom's apple dumplings recipe, old fashioned recipe using apples in a sweet pie crust then baked in delicious cinnamon syrup. A great comforting dessert
Brittney
says:Do you put a preservativ in the apple butter? Or do you just seal the jars?
Cathy Kopp
says:I do not add anything other than what is listed in the recipe. Both sugar and vinegar are considered preservatives. I seal my jars with a boiling water bath according to USDA guidelines for safe canning.
Rachel Cunningham
says:I made this yesterday and finished it today. I only used 2 cups of white sugar and it was till way too sweet for me. Next time I will start with 1 cup, It also had too much cinnamon as well. Other than those little tweeks I can make, the apple butter turned out beautifully! I love the deep dark color. I used an immersion blender to get all the chunks out and it came out to 9 half pint jars. I am going to do another batch as I like to give most of it away during the holidays. I didnt can the apple butter, but I did boil my jars and poured the apple butter in the jars hot out of the crock pot. They all got a great seal on them.
Cathy Kopp
says:Please just be aware that if you don’t boil the filled jars for the proper amount of time as recommended by the USDA, they need to be stored in the refrigerator. Your product is not shelf stable and could develop botulism.
Regina L Burkett
says:Ok….I have peeled and sliced Honey Crisp apples in my freezer. How will honey crisp work for Apple Butter and what do you guess is the ‘cups’ equivalent to 12 pounds of apples? Thank you so much for your help. :) Regina
Cathy Kopp
says:Hi Regina,
Honey Crisp will be wonderful turned into apple butter, but since they are so sweet you should reduce the sugar. After Step 2 when they have cooked down for 10 hours, taste the sauce. Add 1/2 of each of the sugars and then taste it again after an hour. If it needs it you can add more.
According to Google, one pound of apples makes approximately 3 cups of sliced apples.
jessie
says:hi Kathy I am making this now and thought i had 12 pounds but have 6 do i use the same measurments or cut it in half
Cathy Kopp
says:Hi Jessie.
This will be your ingredient list:
6 pounds apples – peeled, cored and sliced
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1.5 cups white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
Everything else remains the same.
Let me know how it turns out.
Cathy :)
Helen
says:Hi could I use granny green apples instead of red ones? Thanks
Cathy Kopp
says:Absolutely. Taste it a couple hours before completion to see if the sugar or spices need adjusting. Let us know how it turns out.
Patty Urban
says:Hey Cathy, I received 2 cases of small apples of unknown type, so i made a batch of your butter recipe. I had never made apple butter before (but I have made peach butter). My apples really reduced! I only got 3 pints out of them (so 6 half pints) but I think that was due to the apples. My daughter loved the butter and she is a tough critic as she has worked in upper crust restaurants in Denver. I still have a lot of apples left, so I will be making more! As for the sugar, I started low and added more per taste. Since apple varieties are so different, I couldn’t imagine there is a ‘one size fits all’ for the sweetener. I had fun making this. Thanks for sharing!
Cathy Kopp
says:Perfect. This is a very forgiving recipe that is easy to make it your own. I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Dwight
says:I just made my 2nd batch and canned , everyone loves this apple butter recipe thank you Cathy
Cathy Kopp
says:You are so welcome. It makes me very happy to know that others are enjoying it. :-)
Roxie
says:Hi, I would like to try this recipe this weekend. In your notes, you stated that you would reduce the amount of white sugar. By how much do you estimate that you will do that?
Cathy Kopp
says:Hi Roxie. Now when I make this recipe, I add 1 cup of white sugar and 1 cup of brown sugar at the 18 hour mark. At the 20 hour mark I take some out to cool and taste. If it needs more sugar I add it at this time.
Becky
says:Do you think honeycrisp apples will work ? If so should I reduce the sugar ?
Cathy Kopp
says:Hi Becky. It’s all a matter of personal taste. Cut each of the sugars in half and then give it a taste after an hour. If you want it sweeter add some more sugar. If it’s too sweet add a little more vinegar.
Enjoy!
Jennifer Weideman
says:Thank you from Doylestown Ohio!!!! Delicious!!!!Jennifer
Cathy Kopp
says:Jennifer, we’re practically neighbors. I’m in Burbank, Ohio just north of Wooster. You are very welcome!!
Cathy
Julie Sims
says:Hi Cathy! I made this yesterday/today, and it is absolutely delicious! It is exactly as I remember my dear grandma’s tasting ? I did use an immersion blender at ‘mile marker 19’ lol to reach the desired smooth consistency, as I didn’t want apple sauce butter ? Also, mine yielded 5 and 1/2 pints, not 11. I did use 12 lbs of golden delicious apples. I will make a second batch next week so I’ll have enough on hand to share. Thank you for the yummy recipe!
Cathy Kopp
says:You’re welcome! :)
Rochelle Chantaca
says:How big of a crockpot did you use?
Cathy Kopp
says:Mine is 8 quarts.
Kathy Crisp
says:I have made this twice now and canned…and it is wonderful! I used Golden Delicious apples and reduced granulated sugar to 2 1/2 cup, and all who have tried can’t get enough of it!
Cathy Kopp
says:I’m so glad you enjoy it, Kathy! :)
Julie Sims
says:To all who is making this absolutely delightful-smelling and tasting apple butter, what are your yields? I’m still baffled why I yielded 1/2 the amount stated in the recipe. Any ideas? Thank you
Cathy Kopp
says:Hi Julie. I went back to my original recipe to see where the discrepancy is. I canned 11 half-pints (almost exactly the same as you). I will ask Mary to revise the way she has it listed in the recipe.
Julie Sims
says:I feel like such a dork! 11 1/2 pints is how I read it, to mean eleven and a half pints ?not eleven half pints! After putting up five pints and one half pint, I much prefer the half pint amount. It seems better to have a smaller amount in the frig for a shorter amount of time, yaknow? Sometimes I am “thick”, one of my many shortcomings. Pint or 1/2 pint, your recipe is a keeper!
Cathy Kopp
says:You’re not a dork. I was reading it as 11 and one half pints, also. I had to go back to my original to see what was going on. Mary has since changed it for us.
I agree with you, I much prefer the half pints, especially since it’s just me … unless, of course, my grandkids get to it. Then it disappears in minutes! :D
Rebekah
says:Mine is almost done cooking….I have about an hour to go. After it cools what’s the best way to blend it? Mines pretty smooth already but it needs to go in a blender too?
Cathy Kopp
says:Hi Rebekah, I’ll bet it smells good in your house!
I use an immersion blender, but it’s not mandatory. The consistency is up to you.
Gina
says:Hello I am making this recipe this week. We went to an Apple Orchard and got a bushel of Honey Crisp . The guy who runs it said it would be OK to use the honey crisp, that he actually uses a variety of apples but I wanted to also get your opinion as well. Also, when you say 12 lbs of apples, are you referring to 12 lbs of whole apples or 12 lbs of peeled, cored and sliced apples?
Cathy Kopp
says:Hi Gina, I think it’s wonderful that you are using Honey Crisp apples. In my opinion, they are the best all around apple and you sure can’t beat the flavor! I start with 12 pounds of whole apples.