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spiced whiskey apple butter

(3 ratings)
Fanaile avatar
Blue Ribbon Recipe by
Naomi Nakashima
@Fanaile
El Paso, TX

This apple butter is warm and spicy and enhanced with the flavor of your favorite whiskey. (Bourbon works just fine, too). Of course, it's great on toast, muffins, and bagels and anywhere else that you would use apple butter. But I have found that I love this recipe so much that I use it as my streusel base for things like cinnamon rolls and cinnamon swirly bread (in place of the butter those recipes call for in the fillings).

Blue Ribbon Recipe

The hardest part of this fabulous apple butter recipe is peeling all the apples... but the end product makes it so worth it. Do not be scared of the whiskey. The harsh alcohol flavor is cooked out before it goes into the slow cooker. Whiskey (or bourbon if you want to use that) pairs really well with the sweet apples. Add in the cinnamon and spices flavor and this is apple butter brilliance. After blending, we could eat this by the spoonful it was that good. Perfect on biscuits, toast, oatmeal or even to use in baking.

— The Test Kitchen @kitchencrew
(3 ratings)
yield serving(s)
prep time 30 Min
cook time 10 Hr
method Slow Cooker Crock Pot

Ingredients For spiced whiskey apple butter

  • 8 lb
    red apples
  • 1/2 c
    brown sugar, firmly packed
  • 1/2 c
    sugar
  • 1/2 c
    whiskey
  • 1 Tbsp
    cinnamon, ground
  • 1/4 tsp
    cloves
  • 1/4 tsp
    nutmeg
  • 1 pinch
    salt

How To Make spiced whiskey apple butter

Test Kitchen Tips
It does take a while for the apples to cook down. We suggest stirring it a few times through cooking to make sure the apples cook evenly.
  • Peeled apple chunks in a bowl.
    1
    Peel, core, and cut your apples into chunks.
  • Remaining dry ingredients mixed together.
    2
    In a separate bowl, mix together everything but the apples and the whiskey.
  • Whiskey simmering on the stove.
    3
    In a small saucepan, bring the whiskey up to a boil over medium heat. Continue to boil while stirring until its volume is reduced by almost half.
  • Apples and spices layered in a slow cooker.
    4
    In your slow cooker, layer the apple chunks with the spices (like a spicy apple lasagna).
  • Reduced whiskey poured on top.
    5
    After the last layer of apples, pour in the reduced whiskey.
  • Remaining spices sprinkled on top.
    6
    Sprinkle the remaining sugar and spice mixture over the apples.
  • Apples cooking in the slow cooker.
    7
    Cover and cook on low for 10 hours.
  • Apples transferred to a blender.
    8
    Once done, transfer all the apples to your blender. The amount of leftover juice that you transfer with the apples will depend on how thick or thin you would like the apple butter to be.
  • Apple mixture blended together.
    9
    Once the apple butter is blended thoroughly, you can store or can it.
  • Canning the apple butter.
    10
    Make sure you follow your canner's safety instructions if canning.
  • Last Step: Don't forget to share! Make all your friends drool by posting a picture of your finished recipe on your favorite social network. And don't forget to tag Just A Pinch and include #justapinchrecipes so we can see it too!
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