It’s apple butter time! Are you a fan? If not, this may be the recipe to win you over- the maple syrup compliments the apples and spices in such a perfect way! Traditional apple butter recipes call for lots of sugar – about 1 cup to 1 pound of apples – making it too sweet in my opinion since there’s sugar in the apples, too. You can, of course, make a version with no added sweetener at all – but that’s basically like spreading applesauce on your toast (again – my opinion, ha!).
I think this is such a great balance – natural sweetness from the maple syrup and not a lot of it (just over 1 c. to 8 lbs. of apples), but enough to render a true apple butter that’s SO good on toast and with peanut butter. I also love having apple butter on hand to make these easy bars for snacking and light desserts.
Oh, and if that’s not enough to get you on the apple butter train, how about the fact that you throw all the ingredients in a slow cooker before you go to bed and wake up to an almost-cooked apple butter?
There’s hardly any hands-on time and in the morning (of course you can start it in the morning and finish it at night if that works better) all that’s needed is a bit more reduction time and a quick whir with an immersion blender.
After whirring up to smooth it all into a glorious goodness, you turn the cooker to high for a bit and thicken to a good toast-spreading consistency. You can go by how it falls off a spoon slowly or add a spoonful to a small cup and see if it keeps it’s ‘shape’ a bit like the lower left photo. And of course tasting is pretty much required at this point!
This apple butter can be frozen or canned – it’s really easy to can and is a good recipe to start with if you’re just learning to can. You can see the steps to water-bath canning in this post that covers what isn’t mentioned in the recipe below.
I’m loving this lower-sugar apple butter so much and I hope you do, too!
Slow Cooker Maple Sweetened Apple Butter
Ingredients
For a 5-6 quart slow cooker (halve recipe for smaller cookers):
- 8 pounds apples peeled, cored and quartered
- 1 ¼ cups pure maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon or to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon allspice optional, but my favorite*
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves and/or nutmeg optional*
Instructions
- Prepare the apples, placing them right in the bowl of a 5-6 quart slow cooker as you peel, core, and quarter them.
- Add all the remaining ingredients and stir well.
- Cook on HIGH, covered, 1 hour.
- Reduce to LOW, stir again, and cook, covered, for 8-10 hours (overnight works great).
- Uncover, stir, and cook on HIGH for 1 hour to reduce a bit, leaving the lid off or halfway on cooker.
- Use an immersion blender right in cooker, blending until smooth. Continue cooking uncovered on HIGH until desired thickness (about 30m-1hr longer).**
- If canning, prepare canning jars, lids and canner while reducing. If freezing, let apple butter cool before adding to freezer-safe small jars.
- To can: ladle into warm 1/2-pint jars leaving 1/4-inch headspace, wiping rims & attaching lids. Place in water bath canner, bring back to a boil, lower heat to maintain a low boil and process for 10 minutes.
- Turn off burner, remove lid and jars let sit in canner for 5 minutes. Transfer to a towel-lined surface and let cool at least 12 hours without touching them. Check seals, label and store in a cool place.
Notes
Nutrition
Diana Davies says
Hi Jami, so glad to find this recipe! My apple tree has so many apples this year that th e branches have had to be propped up to stop them breaking! So guess what everyone’s getting for Christmas this year! I love that it’s sweetened with maple syrup as well. Dumping all that sugar in always makes me cringe. I think this will even be ok for my diabetic friends! Big thumbs up, high five, or fist bump from me!
My grandparents built a cottage on 200 acres, 10 miles north of Brookings on 101, just south of Thomas Creek bridge. They retired there, and were pretty much self sufficient, growing their own fruit and veg, canning and pickling anything that held still long enough to be processed, or didn’t get eaten by ravenous grandkids when we visited. Grandpa was a great hunter and fisherman, so there was a morgue sized freezer full of meat as well. He didn’t hunt much as he got older, but he traded with friends who did. The highlight of our visit was always broiled Chinook Salmon with new potatoes and edible pod peas from the garden. Ah memories!😊
Jami says
Obviously I’m with you on the sugar, and while I’ve seen some recipes for no-sugar apple butter that’s just always seemed like applesauce to me. 🙂 I think you need some sweetener to bring out all that flavor when it’s cooked down – and to be more like a spread. Hopefully this will work for everyone on your list.
Gosh, thanks so much for sharing your memories of your grandparents place – wow how blessed were you to have had that experience and example! And that salmon meal is pretty much my favorite – I love it and usually ask for it on my birthday. 🙂
Diana Davies says
I made this overnight last night. The thickening up stage took 2 hours, but maybe that’s because it was humid here? Anyway, it got 5 stars with my grown up girls. I only have a little crock pot though, so I’ll have to look at getting a bigger one!
Jami says
I’m so glad you and your girls like this, Diana! Yes, humidity could cause that, also more juicy apply varieties.
Stacey says
I’ve made this a couple years now. I love it. Your picture makes it look thick. Mine comes out very thin. Any idea what I may be doing wrong?
Jami says
I’m so glad you like this! I just keep cooking until it’s as thick as I’d like with the lid half off, Stacey, and it always looks like this. Maybe your apples are juicier and you need longer cooking – go by what the butter looks like and not just the time I list. 🙂
Stacey says
Thanks Jami. I’ll try cooking longer. It’s a great recipe though 🙂
Kate says
Thanks for this recipe. Have been looking for one with maple syrup instead of refined sugar. I am making food gifts for family and it is a challenge not to load them up with sugar (which they don’t want). Making tamari almonds, cajun spice mix, lemon curd (sugar!) and I just added your lovely apple butter to the plan. Thanks again!
Jami says
This is everyone’s favorite I serve it to, Kate! Your food gifts sound wonderful – wish I were on your list. 😉
Bylli All says
Do you have recipes for other fruit butters?
Jami says
I have a rhubarb butter (https://anoregoncottage.com/honey-lemon-rhubarb-butter/), but that’s it right now – one day I hope to add a pear butter, which I love!
mistie says
Is there an apple that would not be a good choice? I would like to try this soon.
Jami says
Nope, all apples are good apples. 🙂
Carole says
I’ve made apple butter last night, because I read your blog and love apples. But I did it on the stovetop with a non stick pot . It took forever, but it turned out great. By the end of cooking time, I had to stay close and keep turning it so it would not stick, and this for about an hour. I added the maple syrup at the end, and not even 1/4 cup. The butter is very tart, so it will be great to put in your bars. Heading to the kitchen to make these for my grand-children.
Next time, it will be in the crockpot….lol
Jami says
Glad you liked it, Carole! Yes, the slow cooker makes thick things like this so much easier, huh? Oh, and I’m thankful you are reading and finding useful things here. 🙂
Rosie says
Thanks for the recipe! I just finished canning a batch–I used cinnamon but not the other spices, and for the last hour or so I added some fresh rosemary. So yummy!
Jami says
Great sounding variation, Rosie!
Mary Nippert says
i have made two batches of this. Love it…and the smell that permeates the house is wonderful. I have found that 1 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice in it is perfect.
Kris says
Looking forward to making this for Christmas gifts for colleagues at work! Just wondering if one variety of apple works or tastes better than another. Jami, do you have a preference of which type of apple to use?
Jami says
I just use what I have, Kris, but I do prefer apples that are more tart like Gravenstein or Granny Smith. A mix of apples is nice, too.
Wayne says
Thank You so much>>> Turned out so well. Didn’t change a thing. I put it into freezer bags and will use it for making Muffins for Muffy and some on ice cream. I will be making it again next year
Jami says
You’re welcome, Wayne – I’m glad you liked it, too!
Jennifer says
I’ve never made apple butter before. Thanks so much for sharing this. I would love to have you post on my new blog hop—the Weekend Blog Hop at My Flagstaff Home (www.myflagstaffhome.com). It begins on Thursday evenings and lasts through the weekend, if you’re interested.
Jennifer
easypeasylifematters says
Love apples and love maple so this is perfect! 🙂
Liz Marley says
Hi Jami
I always get hung up on wording in recipes. Specifically, when you say “8 lbs apples, peeled, cored and quartered”, do you mean that they weigh 8 lbs before you peel, core and quarter then, or after? I always worry that the difference may be significant! I am going to make this recipe as I have a load of frozen windfall apples (which I have already peeled, cored and quartered!).
Liz
shelby says
I don’t think you can go wrong with the amount since you can add more spices and syrup if you think you need it! Fill up that crock pot and let it cook to amazing-ness! My guess is that Jami meant 8 lbs before cutting up, but in my opinion, the more the merrier for this recipe!!
Thanks, Jami! (I hope you agree!)
Jami says
Yes (thanks Shelby!!) – it’s 8 lbs. weighed apples, THEN peel and core. In some canning recipes (salsa and tomato sauces especially) it’s very important to keep to the measured amounts, but fruit butters are much more forgiving. You can increase the amount if your cooker holds it and adjust up the other ingredients as you do – it’s okay to can still.
And maybe this will help with reading recipes – it’s all about the comma (or lack of one):
8 lbs apples, peeled and cored
VS.
8 lbs peeled and cored apples
or
3 cloves garlic, minced
VS.
3 cloves minced garlic
Does that make sense, Liz? 🙂