The first time I tasted a spoonful of homemade apple butter I knew I’d unleashed a monster. A fruit-butter making monster. The possibilities are endless; the choices loomed in front of me. Pear. Apple. Pumpkin. Plum. Cranberry.
The apple butter was just too good to stray too far from for my first variation. If it’s not broken, don’t fix it! But I did want to mix it up a little. I had some cranberries leftover from the holiday season and thought their tangy tartness would make the perfect complement to the sweet, rich apple flavor.
I was right. It’s good stuff.
And still super easy. Cranberries can be scary to quick with since they pop and explode, but stick them in a slow cooker with a lid and you’re perfectly safe from rupturing berries.
Cranberry Apple Butter
Keywords: slow-cooker snack vegan vegetarian
Ingredients
- ~4 apples {I used Gala}
- 1 cup whole cranberries
- 1 cup no sugar added cranberry apple juice
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp cloves
Instructions
Dice apples- leave skins on.
Put apple and cranberries in crock pot, cover, and cook on high ~4 hours.
Add in juice & spices. Feel free to adjust spices to taste.
Cook another 4 hrs on high. When it looks like apple sauce, use immersion blender to puree apples.
Continue cooking with lid slightly ajar until apples have thickened and darkened {aka caramelized}.
Note: all slow cookers are different- keep an eye on yours as you may need more or less time, or to use high or low heat.
Do you have a favorite fruit butter? What should I make next? 
1 Comment