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
Tammy
says:Do they have to be golden. Can i use machs or cortlands i have those left over
Cathy Kopp
says:Hi Tammy. You may use whatever combination of apples you prefer. You may need to adjust the sugars depending on the sweetness or tartness of the apples.
Let us know how it turns out.
Carol
says:Hi Cathy,
Is there a specific purpose for the apple cider vinegar? Could you use just apple cider instead? Im curious. thanks, Carol
Cathy Kopp
says:Yes, Carol. The vinegar brings the acid to a safe level for canning and preserving the jars to be shelf stable, similar to using lemon juice when you can tomatoes.
I say try it on a small batch for personal use that will be kept in the refrigerator for no more than a month, It cannot be safely kept in jars on your pantry shelf.
Let us know how it turns out!
Carol
says:thanks Cathy! Does it matter if the cider vinegar is clear or the “healthy” one? :)
Cathy Kopp
says:The only thing that matters is that it is 5% acidity. That is what stops the bacteria.
Cathy Kopp
says:Hi Carol. I was intrigued by your question and sent it on to an expert with the USDA food extension board. This was the answer I received:
It costs more and while I use it daily for the health benefits, I don’t use it in canning. The raw live aspect of it is killed during the canning process so that point is moot. If you’re specifically wanting to use it because it’s organic go ahead. That would be the only reason to use it.
Carol
says:Thx for the research. Good to know
Gabrielle
says:I just made a batch of this last weekend! I had a bunch of Golden Delicious leftover from canning some apple pie filling, so I didn’t really measure how many cups, but they didn’t completely fit into the crock pot for about 8 hours – meep! I used the measurements listed except that I was out of ground cloves and allspice (how does that even happen!) so I used cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice. Turned out beautifully! Rich and deep brown, sweet and spicy. I canned according to the instructions, adding 5 minutes for our altitude and ended up with 12 half pints and 3 pints. So, obvi, I had a lot more apples than I thought. I also used all the scraps to make a Jalapeño Pepper Apple Scrap jelly! Delicious weekend!
Cathy Kopp
says:I love apple scrap jelly! That is so awesome to hear! Thanks for letting me know :)
Heidi
says:Do you have a recipe for the Jalapeno Pepper Apple Scrap Jelly? I have alot of Jalapenos I just picked to save them from our first frost, and will have lots of Apple peels from making this butter. If you could I would love to have the recipe. Thank you
Cathy Kopp
says:This is the apple scrap jelly I use: https://www.thespruce.com/apple-scrap-jelly-1327811
Hopefully Gabrielle will share her Jalapeno recipe with us!
Sharon
says:I made a batch of this apple butter last week. It turned out wonderful an I can see how it won a blue ribbon at the fair. My husband says it is the most delicious apple butter he ever ate and eats some every day. I used golden delicious and macintosh apples.
Cathy Kopp
says:Thank you for your kind words. It’s humbling to know that something I love so much is being made and shared by others. I’m so glad you and your husband are enjoying it!
Anastasia
says:Do you stir at all during the first 18 hours?
Cathy Kopp
says:I usually start it in the evening and let it simmer overnight undisturbed. The aroma is so intoxicating in the morning that I usually open the lid just to savor it up close. I do a quick scrape down of the edges and then cover it right back up again. You lose a lot of built up heat every time you lift the lid on a crockpot; so you don’t want to do that too often.
Lisa C.
says:This recipe was awesome! My boys absolutely love it and couldn’t stop licking the spoons!! I used Northern Greening and Cortland, 1 C each of white and brown sugars, 2 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp ginger, 1/2 tsp nutmeg and 1 tsp allspice. It smelled like spiced cider and tastes tart with a little sweetness. Soooo delicious!!! Thank you! (First time I’ve ever made apple butter. I’m hooked!)
Cathy Kopp
says:I’m so happy you liked it! :)
Lisa
says:If you had already cooked the apples down, how much do you think you need?
Cathy Kopp
says:I’ve done that before. I started with 4 quarts of unsweetened apple sauce that I had canned previously, added spices, and reduced it to about 3 quarts of apple butter.
brinestone
says:My crock pot was smaller, so I halved the recipe. After four hours on high, it looked great. After eight, it was badly burnt, black and charred on the sides and the burn flavor throughout. I had to throw it away. ? I want to try again, but next time I think I’ll start in the morning and keep a close eye on it. Maybe 5 hours on high and 6 on low will be better for my crock pot, then adding sugar and spices.
Cathy Kopp
says:When you reduce the volume of food in a crockpot, you definitely need to also reduce cooking time. It will take much less time for the heat from the crock to get to the center of 1 qt. than 2 qt. That is absolutely something you will have to watch.
Anastasia
says:Did you ever try it again? If so, what cooking times did you use? I’m doing a half recipe as well.
Sue
says:How much reduced sugar? I was thinking 2 cups of white sugar and 2 t cinnamon.
Cathy Kopp
says:I made it once with 1-1/2 c. of white and 1-1/2 c. of brown sugar and thought it was wonderful. It’s all trial and error. Just keep your personal tastes in mind. Experiment with different amounts and keep good notes so you can replicate it when you find a version you love. Let us know how it turns out!
Becky
says:I will be getting these apples from our own trees so it is hit and miss on how good the apples will be so can’t really count on 12 lbs of perfect apples. Do you by any chance know how many cups of Apple’s 12 lbs would equal?
Lovefoodies
says:Hi Becky, this is the reply from Cathy. .. According to my Ball Book of Home Preserving, 3 medium apples equal one pound and yields 3 cups of sliced apples. Based on that, you will need approximately 36 medium apples or 36 cups. Don’t forget that you don’t need to peel the apples if you are using an immersion blender.
Becky
says:Thank you
Julie Sims
says:What? Don’t have to peel the apples if using an immersion blender?? That’s great! But where do the peelings go when blended? I’ve made this 3 times, it’s awesome, and used an immersion blender always, but never knew about the not peeling
Cathy Kopp
says:I discovered that after that many hours of cooking the peels basically disintegrate and enhance the full bodied flavor of the apple butter.
Charna Blanton
says:This is the best recipe ever! Everyone said it was the best they ever ate! Thank you for sharing this recipe! I will only use this one from now on. The only thing I changed was the last 4 hours I took the lid off. Made it thicker! Thank you!
Charna Blanton
says:I also used Hala, Fugi and Ambrosia apples all together! Worked out beautifully!
Charna Blanton
says:Gala! Lol
kathy
says:I don’t put clove in my applebutter I use red hots the little candys and all my family like it very much
Karene Westford
says:How much of the red hots do you add? I make a red hot jelly that is fantastic
Debbie
says:I absolutely love this recipe! I wouldn’t try any other apple butter recipe! I’m always giving it away,and so I’m always making a batch. You can do 12 lbs of apples,or half it. Either way,it always comes out perfect. Thank you so much for sharing!
Cathy
says:Thank YOU for your compliment!
Yvonne
says:Sounds good. I was very surprised to see that you won it at the Wayne County Fair- I grew up in Orrville and went to that fair every year. Lol. NOW I HAVE to try this!
Cathy Kopp
says:I’m a taste panelist at Smucker’s. Small world. Sure hope you enjoy the apple butter!
Lori J Ludy
says:so excited to try your recipe can you let me know what size jars you used