Recipe · fall
Slow-Cooked Apple Butter
A long, slow simmer that turns apples into a deeply spiced, spreadable butter — worth the wait.
Meal: preserveMain: appleHands-on: min
Ingredients
- Apples
- A splash of apple juice (optional)
- Brown sugar, to taste
- Cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves (1 part cinnamon : 1/2 part nutmeg : 1/4 part cloves)
Steps
- 1Combine the apples and brown sugar in a slow cooker, adding a little apple juice if desired.
- 2Cook on low for about 10 hours, stirring occasionally to check the consistency.
- 3Add the warming spices partway through, starting light on the cloves since they're strong.
- 4Taste and adjust the spices before jarring.
Tips that help here
- Label the Lid, Not the JarA small habit that saves an hour every canning season.
- Canning Safety: What You Need to Know About BotulismA rare but serious toxin you can't see, smell, or taste — and why the canning method matters.
- Preserve Responsibly: 4 Rules to Live ByFour habits that keep your preserved food safe, findable, and actually eaten.
More like this
- Small-Batch Cabbage KrautOne cabbage, one jar, one tablespoon of salt, and patience.
- Apple MuffinsAdapted from a treasured recipe in her friend Patti Shenfield's cookbook "Flavours of Home."
- Rhubarb KetchupA tangy, tomato-rhubarb ketchup with a hint of spice — great on burgers, meatloaf, or anywhere you'd use regular ketchup.