Hot Pink Apron

Eat well. Have fun. Wear a foxy apron.

  • Home
  • Welcome!
  • Recipes
    • Recipe Index
    • Breakfast
    • Snacks
    • Mains
    • Dessert
    • Drinks
  • Family Favourites
    • Spring
    • Summer
    • Autumn
    • Winter
  • Adventures
    • Events
    • Travels
  • Community
    • Contributing Writers
    • Artful Drinking
    • Love Mom xo
    • Blogroll
  • Contact
You are here: Home / Recipes / Dessert / Chilling Out with Slow-Cooker Apple Butter

Chilling Out with Slow-Cooker Apple Butter

November 3, 2011 By: Dana14 Comments

Eat it direct from the jar like a rich apple sauce or spread it on a flaky biscuit, however you please, this apple butter is smooth, flavourful and makes it oh so easy for you ignore reality for just a few moments of tasty bliss.

I find myself having the same conversation each time I hand out a hotpinkapron.com business card:

Them: Hot.. Pink.. Apron. So, this is your business?

Me: Well, business implies I’m making money from it {with a smile}.  This is more what I’m very passionate about: promoting local, sustainable foods and practices with family-friendly, delicious recipes.

Them: Oh, so can I order food from you?

Me: No. I just write about it.

Them: Do you have cookbooks for sale?

Me: No, not yet.

Them: Oh… Well I like the name.  Hot.. Pink.. Apron. That’s cool.

What I want to say is: Listen, I know it may seem crazy today but I honestly believe that if I continue to do the things I love, no matter the hardships now,  someone will take notice and help me form a career with it.  I write about food because I love it; I photograph every meal because it makes me happy; I obsess over caramel sauce and I collect change from couch cushions to afford weirdly shaped gourds because I want to learn it all.  I love food, I love supporting local food and I want to talk/write/photograph it for a living.  So, if you, or anyone you know, can help me to do that then you call me – Dana at Hot Pink Apron, it’s right there on the damn card.”

{deep breath}

That’s what I want to say but I don’t.  Instead I politely smile and head home to prepare a delicious apple butter and vent my frustrations to you, the few that may actually understand what I’m talking about.  Thanks for listening.  I mean it.

Alright, enough about me, let’s get to the good stuff.  At the beginning of apple season, an apple butter recipe caught my eye: simple harvest flavours, cooked down on a low heat and then pureed into a spread.  Brilliant idea only perfected by tossing it all in your slow cooker and ignoring for a solid day while it pumps the scent of apples, cinnamon and vanilla through your house.  It’s an amazing aroma.  You’ll be whistling show tunes, the husband won’t stop making out with you, the kids will play together peacefully, neighbours will be “just stopping by”.  It’s a powerfully pleasant scent, this Slow Cooker Apple Butter creates.

This is a great recipe to use up the last of your orchard pickings. I used a mix of Spartan and Golden Delicious for this batch but this is a recipe that would work well with most types of apple.

Slow Cooker Apple Butter
Makes about 4 pints
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 12 hours

Ingredients:

  • 6 1/2 pounds apples (about 15 large apples) – peeled, cored and sliced
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
  • 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • Pods of 2 vanilla beans (or 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract)

Place the apples in the slow cooker. In a medium bowl, combine sugars, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, vanilla pods and salt. Pour the mixture over the apples and mix well.  Toss your empty vanilla beans on top for that added layer of cool. (* If using vanilla extract instead, hold off and wait until the apples have cooked down before adding).

Cook in slow cooker on low for about 10 hours, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is thickened and dark brown.  Of course, you have the option of cooking on high for about 6 hours but what’s your rush, man, chill out.
Uncover (stir in vanilla extract, if using) and continue cooking uncovered on low for about 2 hours.

Use an immersion blender to puree the apple butter until smooth.

Spoon the mixture into sterile containers, cover and refrigerate for up to two weeks or freeze.

Sorry for the rant above.  It’s been a tough month of job hunting with very little to show for it.  I can’t seem to give this passion away right now.  Thank goodness for Slow Cooker Apple Butter to remind me to stop over-thinking and just chill out every now and again.  Enjoy! xo

FavoriteLoadingAdd to favorites

Comments

  1. Linda says

    November 3, 2011 at 1:59 pm

    Could you puree it in a food processor?

    Reply
  2. Dana says

    November 3, 2011 at 2:34 pm

    Absolutely. Just be extra careful transferring it all, it’s bloody hot!

    Reply
  3. Elizabeth says

    November 3, 2011 at 8:12 pm

    My mom makes her applebutter like this and processes it in a hot water bath to seal the jars. Then she can enjoy it all winter.

    Reply
  4. Kim Bee says

    November 4, 2011 at 8:28 pm

    Your ahead of the game just having business cards. I haven’t done that yet. I say I’m a food blogger to people and I get blank stares. Lol. I have the faith though.

    Great apple butter. I love that it’s done in the slow cooker.

    Reply
  5. Stephanie says

    November 6, 2011 at 1:12 pm

    I don’t have a slow cooker- I could just simmer it on the stove in my dutch oven, right?

    Reply
    • Dana says

      November 10, 2011 at 2:55 pm

      Hey darling! Cut the time in half, keep it on low and stay nearby when doing it on the stove top. The outcome will be equally delicious but I’d hate to see the bottom burn with the direct heat.

      Reply
  6. Stephanie says

    November 6, 2011 at 1:16 pm

    and btw…your passion WILL produce fruit. Already, the Christmas Catalog is such a great idea…more great ideas are sure to come and there’s no reason to think you couldn’t someday be as famous and successful as ol’ Martha 😉 And I can say I knew your blog since “back when”… 🙂

    Reply
  7. Sarah says

    November 10, 2011 at 7:31 pm

    Keep cooking your heart out Dana! You might not be getting paid for it yet but the reward is huge – big smiles and happy bellies from all your adoring readers! You are such a blessing to so many people 🙂

    Reply
  8. Sarah says

    November 10, 2011 at 7:33 pm

    Stupid question – how do you eat apple butter?? I have never had it so I wouldn’t know what to do with it!! Remember I have lived a sheltered food life!

    Reply
    • Dana says

      November 10, 2011 at 9:09 pm

      No such thing as a stupid question, darling. Apple ‘butter’ is essentially a thick, spiced apple jam. I’ve been spreading it on my toast and crackers (with some old cheddar – yum!), dollops on pancakes or simply by the spoonful.

      Reply
  9. Linda says

    December 4, 2011 at 3:19 pm

    Could this recipe be doubled easily?

    Reply
    • Dana says

      December 5, 2011 at 12:51 am

      Absolutely. After 10 hours of cooking on a low setting, stir and decide if it needs to cook for longer.

      Reply
  10. The Farmer's Only Daughter says

    October 29, 2012 at 7:46 pm

    Dana, I used this recipe for my Witches Tea Party and it was a huge hit! I used it in some cookies and on scones…soo good! I linked it in my post below:

    http://thefarmersonlydaughter.blogspot.ca/2012/10/my-witches-tea.html

    Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
    • Dana says

      November 2, 2012 at 2:56 am

      Yay! So glad to hear. I’ve been experimenting with my leftovers this week. I spread some leftover apple butter on parchment paper and baked on a low heat for about 35 minutes, it made the best “fruit roll-ups”.

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Welcome to our vibrant family food blog! Come meet the posse here or here ↓.

Sign up for our mailing list.

Family Favourites:

All The Berries Pavlova

Mom’s Best Banana Cake

Beautiful Dreamer Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes

Everything I Know About Food Blogging I Learned From Julia Child’s Boeuf Bourguignon

Home, Phở Goodness Sake

Instagram Feed

Please check your feed, the data was entered incorrectly.
  • Recipe Index
  • Press and Events
  • FAQ
  • Contact

Copyright © 2021 —Hot Pink Apron • All rights reserved.

Genesis Framework • WordPress • Log in