Honey Apple Butter in the Crockpot

The aroma is as enticing as the flavor when you are making honey apple butter. How much natural goodness can you fit on a spoon? This recipe is easy to make and uses a crockpot instead of you having to stand over the stove for hours. Full of fiber, vitamins and minerals this is one of the tastiest spreads around!

Apple Butter – History in a Slow Cooker

As a child, I always loved the time of year when my Granny made apple butter. Living near the South Carolina mountains, several trips to the apple orchards near Hendersonville, NC were annual events.

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The scent of cinnamon, nutmeg and apples permeated the whole house. And Granny would spend hours stirring that large pot of cooking apples. She didn’t have a crockpot or slow cooker but thankfully today we have that option. I still think of her anytime I make this apple spread.

Instructions:

1. Use the apples of your choice. Choosing a variety that is a mix of tart and sweet often works well but I have made apple butter with every kind of apple. Wash – leave the peel on for extra fiber and cut into chunks – discard the seeds.

Then dump them in your slow cooker and add the spices, honey and water. Stir well to combine and coat the apple chunks.

2. Place the top on your cooker and let them cook on 8-9 hours. Check them every few hours – you will have to be the judge of whether or not to add more water. The juicier the apples – the less water you may need.

3. When everything is soft and ready, your ingredients will look much different – don’t worry. We are not done yet.

4. The best way to get a good smooth honey apple butter is the use a food process to puree the mixture. Then its time to jar it up and seal with a tight lid. Store in the frig unless you want to go thru the “canning process”.

Storing

Your fresh apple butter will keep in the refrigerator for several weeks in a tight sealing container – if you don’t eat it up sooner. However, maybe you would like to have some on hand for another time – when you may not have time to cook.

One way to store your special apple spread is to freeze it in small containers. Then you can remove small portions at a time.

The other option is to preserve the apple butter using the boiling water canning method. This is a great option if you would like to give small jars of homemade honey apple butter for gifts! This is what I do when I make this recipe. Those canned jar come in really handy and it is not hard to do.

FAQs & Expert Tips

The sweetness of the final product will depend somewhat on the apples you use. I find this recipe not too sweet but my husband loves it just like this as he says the flavor of the apples is not overwhelmed.

Making honey apple butter is a great way to use up apples that you may have on hand-before they spoil. And, what a tasty way to be frugal. Anyone wanting a homemade gift? Yes, please.

Using honey in your recipes is a great way to add it in your diet – especially for those of you who may not enjoy the taste of honey alone.

It is a great base for this recipe for homemade teriyaki sauce. Or, if you love flavored coffee drinks, whip up this honey bee latte.

Other great ideas include honey glazed nuts such as : roasted almonds or glazed cashews. And, if you have never tried cinnamon honey butter – well, you really should.

Ready to try your hand at making a homemade pie? If so, this pumpkin pie sweetened with honey could not be a easier project to try.