This Homemade Spiced Apple Pumpkin Butter is sweet, creamy and so easy to make in your slow cooker. 🍎
Oh, how I love apple and pumpkin season. For me there's nothing more comforting and satisfying than a pantry and freezer full of homemade and home canned items. Bags of summer corn and berries, jams, jellies, preserves, pickles, relishes, and homemade fall butters.
I used to purchase store bought apple and pumpkin butter, but that was before I found out how simple it was to make from scratch. If you love apples and pumpkins as much as I do then you're going to love today's recipe for 🍎 Homemade Apple-Pumpkin Butter!
This festive fall butter is sweet, creamy and so easy to make in your slow cooker. Just add sliced or diced apples a few spices into your slow cooker the night before and while you sleep your slow cooker does all the work.
When you wake up in the morning the aroma of cinnamon and fall will linger throughout your kitchen! At this point all you will need to do is add the pumpkin, remaining ingredients and cook the butter an additional 3-4 hours to reduce and thicken.
That's it, now you have a delicious apple, pumpkin sweet spread to enjoy on hot biscuits, toast, scones, bagels or added to desserts, quick breads, cakes and pies. You can even add a bit of the apple-pumpkin butter to pancake and french toast batter for a festive fall breakfast. Let's get started on the step-by-step instructions for this simple recipe.
To start. peel, core and slice or dice the apples and place in a into a 4 - 6 quart slow cooker. I used an apple peeler that peels, cores and slices the apples. If you don't have one I highly recommend purchasing one, especially if you have a lot of apples or go apple picking every year. I used my casserole slow cooker and it worked out perfectly.
Add the apple cider, 1 cup of sugar and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon.
Cover and cook on low for 8 hours until the apples are extremely soft (I let mine cook overnight).
Remove lid and using a potato masher or a wire whisk, remove any chunks from the apples until the mixture resembles applesauce.
Add the pumpkin, brown sugar and remaining 1 tablespoon of cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, lemon juice and salt.
Stir until the mixture is well incorporated.
Cook the mixture on low for an additional 3-4 hours (Tilt the lid a bit so the steam can escape) or until the mixture has reduced, thickened up and turned brown in color. Taste the butter and add additional spices if needed. If the pumpkin butter is too thick for your liking, just add a bit of apple cider and blend. If the butter is too thin, just let it cook some more with the lid off so the steam escapes.
Transfer the apple pumpkin butter to hot sterilized half pint jars and cool completely to room temperature. Store jars in the refrigerator for up to one month or freeze for up to 6 months.
This pumpkin apple butter is the perfect fall treat and makes great holiday gifts. I hope you'll give this recipe a try.
Yield: 5 half pints
Slow Cooker Apple - Pumpkin Butter
This Homemade Spiced Apple Pumpkin Butter is sweet, creamy and so easy to make in your slow cooker.
Prep time: 30 MinCook time: 12 HourTotal time: 12 H & 30 M
Ingredients
- 5 pounds apples, peeled, cored and diced or sliced I prefer Honey crisp, McIntosh, Golden Delicious, Fuji or Gala)
- 1/4 cup apple cider
- 1 cup cane or granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoons + 1 - teaspoon cinnamon, divided
- 1 (15 ounce) can solid pumpkin puree or 2 cups fresh pumpkin puree
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 1/2 - teaspoon lemon juice
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- Peel, core and slice or dice the apples and place in a into a 4 - 6 quart slow cooker. I used my apple peeler and slicer, so my apples were not diced.
- Add the apple cider, 1 cup of cane sugar and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours until the apples are extremely soft.
- Remove lid and using a potato masher or a wire whisk, remove any chunks from the apples until the mixture resembles applesauce.
- Add the pumpkin, brown sugar and remaining 1 tablespoon of cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, lemon juice and salt. Stir until the mixture is well incorporated.
- Cook the mixture on low for 3-4 hours (tilt the lid a bit so the steam escapes) or until the mixture has reduced, thickened up and turned very brown in color.
- Taste the butter and add additional spices if needed.
- If the pumpkin butter is too thick for your liking, just add a bit of apple cider and blend. If the butter is too thin, just let it cook some more with the lid off so the steam escapes.
- Transfer the apple pumpkin butter to hot sterilized half pint jars and cool completely to room temperature. Store jars in the refrigerator for up to one month or freeze for up to 6 months.
Notes:
You can easily make your own Pumpkin Puree using this recipe.
Canning is not recommended for pumpkin butter or any mashed or pureed pumpkin or winter squash. The only safe way to home can pumpkin is in cubes and a pressure can must be used. It's best to freeze pumpkin butter or mashed winter squash.
slightly adapted from: Mountain Mama Cooks.
25 comments
I had just made caramel apple butter last week but will be making this soon.
Thank You
Sheila; unless Tina gives me the ok to go ahead and post the Caramel Apple Butter recipe I will do so, OR if you want to, email me at ckb_49@yahoo.com I will email you the recipe.
Original Recipe from Iowa friend some year ago
Carmel Apple Butter
3 lbs of apples enough to equal 7 cups of puree
2 cups white sugar (sugar to taste depending upon the variety of apples used.)
1/4 teaspoon ginger,
1/2 teaspoon cloves,
1 teaspoon cinnamon
21 soft caramels.
Puree about 3 lbs of apples - (heat, peel, steam, food mill, blender, etc.) - enough to equal 7 cups of puree.
Place puree in a crockpot with about 2 cups white sugar (sugar to taste depending upon the variety of apples used.)
Cook the pulp down to a fruit butter consistency (3-4 hours)
Stir in 1/4 teaspoon ginger, 1/2 teaspoon cloves, 1 teaspoon cinnamon and 21 soft caramels. Check the temperature - it should reach at least 140 F, and preferably 165 F. (If your crockpot does not get hot enough to reach the desired temperature, transfer the mixture to a heavy saucepan or dutch oven and heat on the stove until mixture reaches the correct temperature.)
Pour into clean, hot sterilized jars, leaving 1/2" head space. Wipe rims with damp clean cloth and seal with standard lids and ring bands.
Process in boiling water bath, 10 minutes for pints; five minutes for 1/2 pints (start timing when water begins boiling.)
My Notes:
Done in Large crockpot
I used all Gala apples but you can use a variety of different apples if you wish. I used roughly 6 - 7 1/2 lbs. of apples;(doubled the recipe) cored and cut into chunks (No, I did not peel mine but did cut out any bad spots that where in the apple.)
I did add 1 cup Orange Juice or you can add 1 cup Apple juice
I used 1 1/2 cups sugar; but taste and add to your liking.
Once apples are cooked down; remove apples and doing in portions, puree apples in blender or food processor. I used my food processor cause it's larger and can puree more pulp at one time.
Once all the apples are pureed add to stock pot; adding in the ginger, cloves, cinnamon and 1 pkg, (13oz.) unwrapped soft caramels;(minus 2 as I ate those :} }. Cook and check the temperature - it should reach at least 140 F, and preferably 165 F.
Pour into clean, sterilized jars; leaving 1/2 inch head space. Wipe rims with damp cloth and seal with standard lid and ring bands.
Process in boiling water bath 10 minutes for pints; 5 minutes for 1/2 pints (start your timing when water begins boiling)
Thanks for sharing😀