I’m not sure where apple butter has been all my life, but I recently discovered it and wow it’s amazing. I want to put it on everything: pancakes and English muffins and toast and ice cream. And graham crackers. Don’t get me wrong, I love homemade jam, but right now it’s apple butter all the way. Caramel apple butter, to be exact. I combined a few recipes to come up with an easy way to make apple butter in the slow cooker, adding in a hefty dose of melted caramel to take it from delicious to divine.
And then because it’s so pretty and yummy (and my big batch of apples made such a big batch of apple butter) I made a cute little label to put on jars of the stuff for an easy, inexpensive DIY Christmas gift.
This quick video shows how easy it is to make:
How to make caramel apple butter in the crockpot
You can use any kind of apples you like for this recipe, but different apples will yield slightly different results. The first time I made this recipe I used mostly Jazz apples, which are tart-sweet, and the end result was an extremely flavorful apple butter. The second time I made it I tried using Red Delicious apples, since they’re so inexpensive, and I tossed in a couple of Granny Smiths for good measure. That batch had a slightly mellow-er flavor, still very delicious, but I have to say I prefer the first batch. (If you do use Red Delicious apples, you can probably decrease the sugar amount from what’s listed in the recipe.)
But both batches were fantastic and something I’d be proud to give as a gift (and I’m pretty picky about that). If you do use Red Delicious apples, you can make an entire batch for under $10.
My batch yielded about 7 cups of apple butter. I split that up into 12 4-oz jars and 2 8-oz jars, so that makes a lot of gifts! You can see the different sizes of the jars in the photo below. Links to the jars I used: 4 oz jars | 8 oz jars
Be aware that your yield may vary a little depending on how long you cook the apple butter for. If you stop when it’s a medium caramel color, like you see here, it will be plenty thick to spread nicely. This is what you get if you cook the apple butter for 1 hour after blending (as directed in the recipe).
But if you want it a deeper brown and even thicker (so that when you tip the jar upside down it won’t move from the bottom) you can cook it longer, which will reduce it further and give you a smaller yield. This would probably take 2+ hours of cooking time after blending. If you do decide to cook it longer, be sure to give it a stir every once in a while to make sure it doesn’t burn.
One last note: I used the HIGH setting on my slow cooker to make this apple butter because I didn’t want it to take so long. However, you could also use the low setting and double the time listed (for example to let it cook overnight). If you are going to decrease the amounts to make a half batch, it will cook faster, so watch it to make sure it doesn’t burn.
Crockpot caramel apple butter recipe
Caramel Apple Butter
Ingredients
- 15-16 Medium Sized Apples about 7-8 pounds
- 1 cup Brown Sugar
- 1.5 teaspoons Cinnamon
- 3/4 teaspoon Ginger
- 3/4 teaspoon Ground Cloves
- 2 teaspoons Vanilla
- 30 Unwrapped Caramels most of an 11 oz bag
Instructions
- Peel and dice the apples. You should have about 16 cups of apple.
- Mix in the brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves, then place apples in a slow cooker and cover with lid. Cook on high for 6 hours.
- Blend the apples until smooth, either using an immersion blender or by transferring apples into a blender.
- Return apple mixture to slow cooker. Stir in vanilla.
- Melt caramels by microwaving for 30 second intervals until they are soft enough to stir.
- Pour melted caramels into apple mixture and stir or blend to combine.
- Replace slow cooker lid, but pit it on crooked so air can vent.
- Continue cooking on high for 1-2 more hours until mixture starts to thicken (it will get even thicker as it cools).
- Transfer apple butter to airtight containers. Keep in the fridge for 2 weeks or freeze for up to 6 months.
And you can download the printable tags by clicking here. I recommend printing them on cardstock. If you print at 100% they will fit the jar lids for these jars: 4 oz jars | 8 oz jars
nadine donovan says
yummy! this is a perfect gift for loved ones! can’t wait to make it!
Jan says
Such a wonderful idea! I love it, and I thank you for sharing!
Amanda says
Do you think you can use apple sauce? My apples have already been turned into sauce, but this would be a delicious alternative.
Could you also use caramel sauce instead of the candies? I have a lot of the sauce left from VBS Sundaes.
Christina says
this looks delicious! I have two questions…. what kind of bread would you pair this with as a gift? and have you ever left the peels on and used a foley food mill? it makes it SUPER fast to make applesauce or butter and the color is deeper and richer too!
Crystal says
I missed the 6 hr cook before blending the apples. Can I put it into the slow cooker after pureed? And for how long??
Lara says
Thanks for the recipe! I love your blog. I just made this with my daughter. The taste is delicious, although I must say, mine isn’t quite as smooth as yours. It developed little flecks in it, of the caramel I believe. Not sure why it didn’t incorporate more into the mix. The appearance isn’t quite as appealing but the taste is great! I used a combination of Cortland and Granny smiths.
Donna SMith says
Can you do water bath canning for shelf storage?
Leanne says
I was wondering the same.
Susanne Johnson says
I was also wondering this — has anyone tried it?
KATHY says
Can you do water bath canning
Jennifer says
Can you do water bathing canning with this recipe?
Nancy says
This sounds sublime…I’m gonna try making some…do you preserve it in a pressure cooker or hot bath and for how long? I was curious if it took longer because of the caramel…
Amanda says
Can you can (hot water bath), these?
Michelle says
I would think HWB for 10 minutes would do it.
Sabrina says
Can I do this in a regular stove?! How long would it take? Any idea? Tks!
Ivory says
This look amazing, and I will be trying this, just hope it look and taste good.
Lynn Riddle says
how did you attach the “labels” to the jar if you used cardstock?
autumn says
Hi Lynn! The labels aren’t actually “attached”, they are just the same size as the flat lid of the jar, so when the screw top lid screws on over them it keeps them in place.
Annette says
I was wondering if anyone has water bath processed this? And if it was successful.
Melissa A says
Can you please respond to all the questions on water bath canning please? 😉
autumn says
Hi Melissa! I have no experience with canning, so I’m no help there. Sorry!
Brooke says
What type of ginger do you use? Is that considered a spice?
Katie C. says
Wow! This is so good! I made it today and I can’t wait to give it to my family.
DONNA HARRISON says
Can you use caramel ice cream topping vs. melting individual caramels?
Melissa Alakaby says
Fresh ginger or ground dry?
autumn says
Ground dry!
Jeanita says
I am making this but accidentally put the vanilla in with the rest of the ingredients for 6hours on high. Should it affect the recipe ?
autumn says
Hi Jeanita – the vanilla may have evaporated during that cook time so you may want to add a little more. But it will likely be just fine.
Amanda says
Hi, I’m making this for last minute Christmas gifts and was wondering what size crock pot you used and what your idea of medium apples are. I had six loose from produce and used them and filled most of my 6qt crock pot. I also purchased 2 3lb bags in case and only used part of one. Is this because the loose produce apples are larger than bagged?
Thank you so much!