Slow Cooker Apple Butter - Recipes That Crock! (2024)

FAQs

Are Wolf River apples good for apple butter? ›

Wolf River has been described as a world-class apple butter apple, which has long been praised for the rich, fluffy apple butter it provides after hours of slow cooking.

If you've been cooking your fruit butter with a lid in order to keep the flavor in, it's time to take it off. Keeping the lid on can trap the moisture inside, causing the butter to remain runny. Puree the butter with a stick blender. This will mix any moisture in the pan into the solid fruit.

If it's the consistency of applesauce, no ma'am! To check for doneness: Spoon out some of the apple butter, turn the spoon upside down. The apple butter should cling to the spoon without falling off right away. If it does fall off, continue cooking to remove more of the liquid.

uses: Primarily a cooking apple, but fairly flavourful fresh off the tree. Keeps its shape when baked. Makes excellent pies, sauce, and dumplings. Often used for the sharp ingredient in American style cider.

For 1 tablespoon the amount of carbohydrates is about 4–15 grams and the sugar content is about 4–10 grams. Apple butter is not a good source for iron, calcium, vitamin A, vitamin B, though it contains a small amount of vitamin C.

Since it's sweet, apple butter can pair with many different kinds of cheeses — try your favorites and see what works best. If you need some suggestions to begin, try a sharp cheddar, an oozy brie, or a tangy chèvre.

If stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator, homemade apple butter can last up to 6 months. If you store it in the freezer, it can last up to a year. It's important to check the apple butter for any signs of spoilage before consuming. Discard if it has an off odor, mold or discoloration.

Refrigerator Storage – You can store the apple butter in the fridge for up to 1 month. Freezer Storage – You can store the apple butter in the freezer for up to 1 year. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before using it.

Applesauce is a fairly quick process, cooked apples run through a food mill. Apple butter is basically concentrated apple sauce, cooked down even more until it's thicker, silkier, and more intensely apple flavored. Like the difference between tomato sauce and tomato paste, essentially.

The addition of acid, in the form of lemon juice, will also prevent browning. Finally, if you aded spices to your apple sauce (some typical ones would be nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger, or clove) they might affect the color.

Why is my apple butter so dark? ›

During the slow cooking, the sugars that are naturally present in the apples caramelize into a deep, molasses-like flavor, and a dark color. This gives the apple butter its rich, sweet flavor and dark brown hue.

To thicken your apple butter after puréeing, continue to cook it uncovered, stirring occasionally, in the slow cooker until it's reached your desired consistency. This apple butter will continue to thicken as it cools.

It also may be that the kettle was not well seasoned allowing the apple butter to make more contact with the metal of the pot. There is no way to remove the metallic taste or the metallic elements from the finished product.

Baking: According to Rowan Jacobsen in Apples of Uncommon Character (2014) "its very dryness makes it one of the best baking apples, where that dry flesh magically transforms into a caramelized, creamy delight." I've never had quite that luck with baking the Wolf River but I think I'm going to have to give it another ...

Wolf River apples are HUGE. They're rather dry, with little moisture -- not a juicy eating apple, but an excellent sauce apple. These apples were not sweet, so they needed a good bit of sugar and spices to make the sauce yummy.

The tree will grow up to 23 feet (7 meters) and needs about 30 feet (9 meters) of space. It prefers full sun and soil that drains well. It will take about seven years to bear fruit, so be patient and make sure you have another variety of apple tree nearby for pollinating.

Dip Apples into a Bowl of Peanut Butter

Some researchers and food experts recommend a Gala apple for pairing with peanut butter because of its sweetness. But also, Granny Smith and Pink Lady apples are tart varieties best for dipping peanut butter.