Okay, halllooooo FALL. I know, I know…I’m five days late. Absolutely unacceptable for someone like me who lives through their entire year looking forward to the first day of fall. BUT, can I please make up for my lateness by giving you this recipe for the best apple butter in the whole entire world?
Okay, good.
Preesh.
I will explain my VERY long (over two weeks…yikes) absence from this lovely corner of the internet later, but for now, I must gush about this apple butter for a few minutes. First of all, a prerequisite question must be asked: have you ever had apple butter before? If you’ve ever been to Cracker Barrel, you have probs had it (this version is better – GASP…promise).
Apple butter doesn’t actually contain any butter. It’s basically just slow cooked apples that are mixed with sugar, cinnamon, clove, and happiness before being pureed into the most delicious, thick pot of goodness that your refrigerator and mouth will ever encounter. And that’s a fact, people. A FACT.
I’ve made apple butter before, and I made it the “legit” way, which is cooking the apples (and other added yumminess) in a big pot in the oven for a super long time and taking it out to stir every so often. It was good, don’t get me wrong, but this version is not only a BILLION times easier, it also tastes better. I’m in love.
And the cool thing is that all the magic happens overnight. The little fall elves come into your house and sneak over to your crock pot, throw away your apples, and replace them with rich, flavorful, heavenly apple butter. That’s actually slightly creepy, but we’re goin’ with it.
So here’s what you do the night before:
- Slice apples
- Place in crock pot
- Stir in sugar, spices, and salt
And that’s it. Fo reals.
Then the next morning, you wake up to the smell of concentrated fall awesomeness permeating every inch of your house…it smells like apple pies have been baking in your oven on repeat all night – YAS.
All you have to do at this point is puree the dark brown apples with an immersion blender (you can use a food processor, but an immersion blender will be SO much easier), let it cook and thicken a little bit more, add some vanilla, and you’re done!
Oh…what to put it on? I’m so glad you asked.
- Toast
- Biscuits
- Pancakes
- Waffles
- Pork
- Chicken
- Straight out of the jar with a spoon
- Slathered all over your body as a lotion that heals all ailments. Am I kidding? I’ll let you decide…
Alright, now for the not-so-fun part of this post. Why I’ve been super MIA for the last few weeks. In late August, Seth and I found out we were pregnant. We were so SO ecstatic, and I was so excited to tell all of you once I was through my first trimester!
A few weeks ago, I started experiencing some very concerning symptoms, left work, went to the doctor, and found out I was having a miscarriage. Throughout the rest of that week, my body reacted very abnormally to the miscarriage, and I was in and out of the ER. It was not our best week, to say the least.
It was definitely the hardest thing I’ve ever gone through, and the hardest thing Seth and I have gone through as a couple, but we are trusting God and trusting God’s timing for when we will have children. And we are making sure to stick close together and come out stronger through this experience. For those of you going through tough times, this helped me a lot:
“Struck down, but not destroyed.”
Basically meaning: life can suck sometimes, but you’ve got this.
Seth and I are okay now, but I really needed a few weeks to process, so I decided to take a pause from blogging so I could just relax in the evenings and spend time with Seth as we moved through this challenging season of life. But I missed you all very much!
AND I made this apple butter before all this cray-cray-ness went down, so I’ve been dying to share it with you because, if I’m being totally honest…IT’S SUPA BOSS.
Overnight Slow Cooker Apple Butter
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 11 hours 45 mins
- Total Time: 12 hours
- Yield: 13 4 oz servings 1x
Ingredients
- 6 pounds apples (I used a mix of sweet and tart)
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 1/2 tablespoons cinnamon
- 1/2 tablespoon ground clove
- A few pinches of salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Peel and core all your apples. Cut them into thin slices and place in the crock pot
- To the apples, stir in the sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, cloves, and salt until the apples are evenly coated (for the most part)
- Turn your crock pot on low and cook for 11 hours (this is the overnight part!)
- Remove the lid, stir, and puree with an immersion blender (you can also puree in batches using a blender or food processor, but an immersion blender is a million times easier)
- Once pureed, cook on high for another 45 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the apple butter has thickened a bit more
- When there are only 15 minutes left, stir in the vanilla
The recipe fills about 13 4oz jars, and the nutrition info below is for 1 tablespoon of apple butter.
If you make this or any of my other recipes, be sure to Instagram it and hashtag #thegarlicdiaries!
In the mood for more fally treats? Check these out:
Brown Butter Sage Roasted Sweet Potatoes
This recipe sounds great. My old recipe did not have brown sugar or ground cloves.
I went to the mountains this past weekend , bought apples and tonight I plan to
use your recipe.
I plan to can my apple butter, once I put the apple butter in hot jars do they have to have a hot bath?
Said a prayer for you and your husband, God has a plan and when the time is right, he will reveal it.
Sandy K.
I hope it turns out so well for you, Sandra! Let me know! Thank you for the prayer, that’s very kind of you. I sadly cannot answer any questions about canning, I’ve never done it myself or do I know how. I think it’s super cool though and I’d love to learn!
I just wanted to let you know that I made my very 1st ever, batch of YOUR Homemade Apple Butter. How did it turn out for me…..AMAZING!!! I’ve looked at many, many recipes and found myself coming back to your website. I coykdnt be more pleased with this recipe! It was so simple to make, it has a beautiful deep color to it and the flavor is awesome! Thanks again for sharing!!!
Bee recently posted…Lumpia (Filipino Spring Rolls)
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Yay!! So happy you tried and loved this, Bee! Apple Butter is just the best.
Hi Annie! This method of making apple butter sounds AMAZING!! I recently posted a recipe for Apple Pie Energy Bites using homemade apple butter, and this method sounds so much easier!! :)
I’m so sorry to hear about what you’re going through, and you’re so brave to share your experience on your blog. Sending prayers your way!
Devan @ Eating with Emmy Lou recently posted…Chimichurri Burgers with Avocado and Feta (Two Ways!)
Apple Pie Energy Bites sound AMAZING! I need to head over and check that out :). Thank you so much for the prayers, Devan!
wow !!! Looks Delicious…. Thanks.
Liza recently posted…Best Blender Under 100
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Thanks, Liza!
Wow !!! Looks Delicious. Thanks…
Liza recently posted…Best Blender Under 100
★★★★★
I love that this apple butter doesn’t actually contain butter, awesome!
I’m so sorry to hear about your miscarriage :( you are a warrior and so brave to share all of this with us. I hope you are feeling better, I’m sending some healing energy your way. You and Seth will get through this. better days are right around the corner
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No butter, but pure yumminess :). Thank you for those encouraging words, Mary – your comment made my day!
Yum! This looks delicious… can you believe I’ve never had homemade apple butter. Seems kind of silly when I see how easy it is to make!
It is so delicious! You should definitely change that and make yourself a homemade version :). You’ll be in love!
Yummm I’ve never made my own apple butter before and this looks fabulous!
Thanks Sues :). You would LOVE homemade apple butter!