If I could use one word to describe Winter, it’s cozy! It’s flannel pajamas, hot cocoa, blankets, and snuggles next to your significant other preferably by a fireplace. Aside from all of the snuggles and coziness, there’s apple butter. Slow cooker apple butter that fills your home and your stomach with the ultimate cozy vibes. Seriously, the smell alone will make you happy!

There are so many great uses for apple butter. I specifically love it because it’s not super sweet and pairs well with just about anything, even as filling in pastries, cakes, and other desserts. My favorite way to use it, on toast, biscuits, and scones. It even goes great with savory dishes like pork and chicken when used as a glaze or in a sauce.

The best part is how easy it is to make. Throw a few ingredients in your slow cooker, blend, and voila! It’s a little bit of patience and a big reward when it’s all done!

Before we go into the recipe here’s some key information to know:

What apples should you use? I have tried this recipe with a bunch of varieties but my favorite and the ones that give you the best tasting apple butter are: red delicious, gala, fuji, and mcintosh. These varieties are just the right combination of sweet and tart and are meatier apples. Granny Smith is also an option but only if you like a more tart apple butter.

Do I have to peel the apples? No! Yes, you read that correctly. That’s the beauty of this recipe. No fuss and super easy. Just throw everything in your crockpot/slow cooker and you’re good to go! The skin is so nutritious and we want all of the good stuff! Leave the peel on!

Do leave the apples alone in the crockpot! You want to keep all of the steam in your crockpot/slow cooker during the 4 hours that the apples are cooking. Opening the lid to check on them will only stop the cooking process. Practice a bit of patience here.

Blender or Emulsion Blender? I used my emulsion blender to smooth out the apple butter but you can also use your usual countertop blender. I love the emulsion blender because I can blend right in the crockpot without using another cooking tool. I mean, who likes to wash a bunch of dishes? Not I! I used my Elechomes Emulsion Blender I purchased on Amazon and love it! I use it to blend soups, make sauce, etc. It’s great quality and works likes a charm! Plus, it comes with a bunch of other attachments. A great option if you’re in the market for one.

Do have some jars ready for storage. This apple butter is so delicious and you’ll definitely want to share it with the world (or your best friends and family). This recipe will make enough for about 4-5 bottles of apple butter. Share the wealth.

Now that we got that out of the way, let’s make some Apple Butter. Here’s how:

Ingredients:

4 pounds of apples (about 8- 9 medium-sized apples), washed, cored and chopped
1/2 cup of brown sugar
1 cup of white granulated sugar
1 teaspoon of maple syrup
2 tablespoons of Home Beis Apple Spice
Juice of half a lemon

Directions:

Add all of your ingredients to your crockpot/slow cooker starting with the apples and then adding all of the spices, lemon juice, sugars, and syrup on top. There’s no need to mix the ingredients. Add everything right in.

Cook on high for 4 hours with the lid covered.

Once cooked through, blend your apples with an emulsion hand blender right in your crockpot/slow cooker or transfer to a blender until completely smooth.

If using a blender, transfer the blended apples back into the crockpot.

Cook the blended apples in your crockpot/slow cooker for another 2 hours, this time with the lid ajar on low. Stir the mixture every 30 minutes until it becomes thick and gooey.

Transfer to glass containers (preferably mason jars) and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Apple Butter is good for about 1-2 months in the refrigerator.