Apple Butter Recipe for the Crockpot Using Applesauce
This apple butter recipe for the crockpot using applesauce skips the peeling, coring and chopping. Jarred applesauce cooks down with brown sugar and warm spices into a dark, spoonable spread in one long, hands-off day.
Apple Butter Recipe for the Crockpot Using Applesauce
Course: BreakfastDifficulty: Easy32
servings10
minutes10
hoursUnsweetened applesauce, brown sugar and spices cook down for hours until thick, dark and glossy. The lid is propped open at the end to let the steam out.
Ingredients
2 jars (48 oz each) unsweetened applesauce
1 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup apple cider or apple juice
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon fine salt
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Directions
- Lightly grease a 6-quart slow cooker so the sugar does not stick to the edges.
- Add the applesauce, brown sugar, granulated sugar, cider and lemon juice.
- Stir in the cinnamon, allspice, cloves, nutmeg and salt until no streaks of spice remain.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 6 hours, stirring once or twice. The mixture will start to darken.
- Prop the lid open about an inch with a wooden spoon handle. This lets steam escape so the butter can thicken.
- Keep cooking on LOW for 4 to 6 more hours, stirring every hour or so near the end. It is done when a spoonful mounds on a plate and no water ring forms around it.
- Stir in the vanilla during the last 15 minutes.
- For a smoother texture, blend with an immersion blender for 30 seconds.
- Cool for 30 minutes before spooning into clean jars.
- Cover and chill. The butter thickens more as it cools.
Notes
- Use unsweetened applesauce so you control the sugar. If your sauce is chunky, blend the finished butter. This version is for the fridge or freezer, not for shelf canning. Keeps 3 weeks in the fridge and 6 months in the freezer. Spread on toast, stir into oatmeal or spoon over pork chops.
Why applesauce is the smart shortcut
Traditional apple butter starts with ten pounds of apples that have to be peeled, cored and cooked down until soft. Applesauce has already done that first part. All the slow cooker needs to do is drive off water and build flavor, which is exactly what it is good at.
Long, gentle heat caramelizes the sugars in the sauce and turns the color from pale gold to deep mahogany. The result is smooth, intense and spreadable, with a much shorter list of dishes to wash.
A 6-quart cooker filled with about 96 ounces of applesauce reduces to roughly half that volume, so you end up with about 10 cups of finished butter. Plan your jars before you start, and wash them while the butter cooks.
Choosing the applesauce and spices
Applesauce: Buy plain unsweetened sauce with no added flavors. Sweetened sauce plus the sugar here can end up cloying.
Brown sugar: Light brown gives a molasses note. Dark brown makes a deeper, almost toffee flavor if you like it that way.
Cider or juice: A small splash gives a fresh apple taste to balance the long cook time.
Lemon juice: It keeps the butter from tasting flat and one note sweet.
Spices: Use fresh ground spices if you can. Old cinnamon tastes like dust after ten hours of cooking.
Vanilla: Add it late, since the long cook burns off its flavor.
Getting a thick, dark butter
Vent the lid: The most common mistake is cooking with the lid fully on. Steam drips back and the apple butter never thickens. Prop it open with a spoon for the last several hours.
Stir more near the end: As water leaves, the sugars at the edge can scorch. Stir every hour or so in the final stretch and scrape the sides.
Use the plate test: Put a spoonful on a cold plate. If it holds a dome and no liquid weeps from the edge, it is ready.
Do not walk away at the end: In the last hour the butter thickens fast and starts to spit. Keep the lid propped, stir often and turn the cooker to WARM the moment it passes the plate test.
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Flavor changes and what to avoid
Swap the granulated sugar for maple syrup for a woodsy flavor, or use half the sugar for a tarter spread. Add a pinch of ground ginger or a split vanilla bean for a more bakery-style taste. Do not use a larger slow cooker than 6 quarts for this amount, because a thin layer of sauce dries out and burns before it can develop flavor.
For a pumpkin pie version, stir in a cup of plain pumpkin puree with the sauce and add a little ginger. For a tart spread, use only half the brown sugar and add an extra tablespoon of lemon juice.
Ways to use a big batch
Spread it on toast with sharp cheddar, stir it into oatmeal or yogurt, brush it on pork chops in the last minutes of cooking, or swirl it into a pan of coffee cake batter. It also makes a good gift in small jars.
Storing and freezing apple butter
Cool the butter completely and keep it in clean covered jars in the fridge for up to 3 weeks. Leave a little room at the top of each jar.
To freeze, use freezer-safe jars with an inch of headspace or flat freezer bags. It keeps for 6 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight and stir before using.
Apple Butter Recipe for the Crockpot Using Applesauce at a glance
- Prep time: 10 minutes
- Cooking time: 10 hours
- Servings: 32 servings
- Ingredients: 11, led by jars (48 oz each) unsweetened applesauce, light brown sugar, granulated sugar, apple cider or apple juice
Tips for Apple Butter Recipe for the Crockpot Using Applesauce
Use unsweetened applesauce so you control the sugar. If your sauce is chunky, blend the finished butter. This version is for the fridge or freezer, not for shelf canning. Keeps 3 weeks in the fridge and 6 months in the freezer. Spread on toast, stir into oatmeal or spoon over pork chops.
Apple Butter Recipe for the Crockpot Using Applesauce FAQ
How long does Apple Butter Recipe for the Crockpot Using Applesauce take?
Apple Butter Recipe for the Crockpot Using Applesauce takes 10 hours of cooking after 10 minutes of prep.
How many people does Apple Butter Recipe for the Crockpot Using Applesauce serve?
This recipe makes 32 servings.
What do I need to make Apple Butter Recipe for the Crockpot Using Applesauce?
11 ingredients, led by jars (48 oz each) unsweetened applesauce, light brown sugar, granulated sugar, apple cider or apple juice. Amounts are in the recipe card above.
