Crockpot Apple Butter {How To Use It}

The best, easy homemade crockpot apple butter recipe from scratch, homemade with simple ingredients. Spiced with cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamon. Great as a spread, filling or topping. Rich, thick and smooth. Perfect for Fall and Thanksgiving breakfast and brunches.

Today's recipe is an awesome way to use up a surplus of apples, especially if you just went apple picking. It's fresh plus smells and tastes amazing, just like these Baked Apple Cider Donuts and Apple Fritters. Even though it's called butter, it doesn't have any butter in the recipe. It's mostly used as a spread, similar to how you would spread butter.

What is apple butter?

It's a very concentrated form of apple sauce that's created by cooking apples long and slow until the sugar in the apples caramelizes and turns a deep brown color. It's typically used as a spread but can also be used as a topping or filling or even glaze.

Key Ingredients

• Apples- Use a combination of Granny Smith, Fuji and Honey Crisp apples
• Sugar- Use a combination of brown and granulated sugar for best flavor.
• Spices and extracts- I like to use a combination of cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, vanilla.

Variations

• Use a spice blend- Such as pumpkin pie spice or apple pie spice instead of the spices mentioned below.
• Can I make this without sugar? Yes, you can omit all sugars from the recipe but obviously, the end result won't be as sweet. You can also use artificial sweeteners. If you are planning on using no sugar at all, I highly recommend using sweeter apple varieties like Gala, Red Delicious and McIntosh.
• Add peanut butter- Mix in 1-2 tablespoon smooth peanut butter at the end to add a rich nutty flavor.

What is this butter used for?

• Spread- On breads, bagels, pancake muffins, scones, biscuits.
• Filling- In cakes, yellow cupcakes, cinnamon rolls, pies, tarts.
• Topping- On buttermilk pancakes, waffles, crepes, oatmeal, ice cream.
• Flavor enhancer- To give smoothies, chai teas, coffees, milkshakes and other drinks an apple kick.
• Glaze- For savory dishes like pork chops and steak.

Tips and techniques

• Cook overnight- Since you are cooking "long and slow" for 12 hours, just dumping everything in the crockpot before going to bed and enjoy it in the morning for breakfast.
• Adjust amount of sugar- Some people like this sweet while others don't. Add more or less sugar, based on your preference. Use both, granulated and brown sugar for best flavor profile.
• Stir often- Because it allows everything to cook evenly.
• How do you know it's done? The apples will become very soft and would have broken down. The color would have also changed to dark brown. That's when you know it's ready and can be pureed.
• How to make it smooth? Use a hand-held immersion blender or you can use a regular blender too.
• Do you peel apples? I always do it because the peel takes longer to break down during cooking. The flavor DOES NOT change whether you peel or don't peel apples. It's your choice! Traditionally, the peel is not removed.

Recipe FAQs

Storage

• Once it comes to room temperature, store in sealed container or jar in the fridge for up to 2 week.
• You can also freeze this in a sealed container for up to 1 month. Let it thaw overnight in the fridge.
• Canning is another option. Just follow the typical canning method and store in a cabinet and you can enjoy it months later. Fill sterilized jars with butter, screw on lids and and submerge in boiling water for about 10 minutes. As the jars cool, the lids will suction down and pop, becoming airtight.

More apple desserts

• Easy Apple Crumble Pie
• Easy Apple Caramel Pie
• Homemade Apple Pie
• Apple Pie Cake
• Homemade Apple Pie Filling
• Easy Apple Turnover (With Puff Pastry)
• Chocolate Caramel Apples
• Old Fashioned Applesauce Cake
• Easy Apple Cake (With Cake Mix)
• Mini Apple Strudels

Recipe