Crock Pot Cranberry Apple Butter is an easy, no sugar fruit spread for toast, biscuits, muffins, and scones, it’s also perfect for holiday gift giving!
cranberry apple butter is an extra special fall treat.
Apple butter is such a fall staple. And I’m sure you already know that there’s no butter in it at all, just fresh apples that have been cooked down and pureed into a thick spread. But did you know you can also make Pumpkin Butter? And Bourbon Banana Butter? And Peach Butter? I love to experiment, and today I mixed cranberries with apples to make fabulously tart cranberry apple butter that I think you’re going to love. The flavor (and color!) is unique and wonderful. This is easy to make, so gather up some small jars and think about making a few extra batches for holiday gifts.
TIP: Fresh cranberries are sold in 12-ounce bags from late September through December in grocery stores — you can’t get them at any other time of the year, so grab extra and freeze them. Just put them straight into the freezer as is, in their original bags, they’ll last up to a year. Cranberries are low in calories, and high in vitamin C and anti-oxidants so they’re really good for you, especially when you eat them without added sugar.
You’ll need 5 or 6 apples and a bag of fresh cranberries for this butter (one 12 ounce bag is about 3 cups of berries.) You can use any type of apple you like, and there is no need to peel them, just remove the core and seeds.
TIP: This cranberry apple butter recipe is formulated for the crock pot, but you can certainly do it on the stove top as well. It won’t take as long, but it will require more ‘babysitting’.
Pile the fruit into the crock pot and cook on high for about 4 hours, giving the pot a stir now and then. Puree the softened mixture and then push through a strainer. This step removes any gritty bits and ensures a silky butter. Then back it goes into the rinsed out crock pot for a further couple of hours to thicken up to a spreadable consistency.
The natural sweetness of the apples offsets the tart cranberries, so I didn’t add any sugar to this at all. I recommend you give it a taste during the final stages of cooking, if it tastes too tart, just add some honey to sweeten it up. The same goes for the spices…I kept it minimal with a stick of cinnamon that lends a subtle hint of spice, but you can use more if you like.
TIP: This Crock Pot Cranberry Apple Butter will last up to a month in the refrigerator. You can also freeze the jars for up to a year: leave a little space at the top for expansion and set the jars right in the freezer after they’ve cooled down.
“Just made this. Its beautiful and delicious! Nothing to strain out after putting it in the Vitamix on high. Plan to enjoy it with gluten-free cinnamon swirl bread from LowCarbYum – looks like a perfect match! Thank you!”
Lisa
Cranberry Apple Butter
Video
Equipment
- crock pot
Ingredients
- 5-6 apples
- 12 ounce bag of fresh cranberries, they can be frozen and thawed
- 1 stick of cinnamon, or powdered cinnamon to taste
- honey, optional
Instructions
- Wash the apples well, and cut them into large chunks, discarding the core and seeds. Add to the crock pot.
- Rinse the cranberries and add them to the crock pot. Give the fruit a stir and then cover and cook on HIGH for 4 hours. Give the pot a stir every once in a while to prevent sticking. If the mixture is sticking you can add a bit of water, but I didn’t have to, the natural juices of the fruit should be sufficient.
- Puree the softened fruit in a high speed blender or food processor, working in 2 batches.
- Push the puree through a mesh strainer with the back of a large spoon, Force the puree through, you should be left with just a light layer of solids. Rinse out the strainer between batches.
- Rinse out the crock pot and return the strained puree to the pot. Bury a stick of cinnamon into the puree. Cook on HIGH, uncovered, for another 2 hours, or until thick and spreadable, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. When the fruit has thickened, spoon it into clean glass jars. Let cool, and then cap and refrigerate. The butter will keep for 4 weeks in the refrigerator, or up to a year in the freezer. (If you plan to freeze, leave a little space at the top of each jar to allow for expansion.)
- Makes 2 1/2 cups
Notes
- Another way to get a less tart result without adding any sweetener would be to use more apples and less cranberries, say 8 apples with 1/2 bag of cranberries.
- If you like things super tart, try my pure cranberry butter.
- If you don’t have a crock pot I highly recommend getting one…you don’t have to spend a lot, the base models are fine, and you will get a ton of use out of it. This is the one I’ve used for years.
Absolutely beautiful colour! I have never tried a cranberry butter, so I must try this once the fresh cranberries hit the stores here shortly 🙂 And thanks for linking up my pumpkin cranberry bread!
What a great idea to combine two fabulous fall fruits together to make this cran-apple butter. This would disappear quickly in my house. Time to hunt for those cranberries:)
Gimmeeee all the butter, I say! One can never have enough! What a delicious combination, Sue! And such a snap to pull together. I’d slather this on everything! Gorgeous work my dear!
Gosh what a pretty colour the cranberries give, this looks so good!
Oh wow, the color of this butter is just STUNNING, Sue! Seriously, it’s almost too pretty to eat… although that won’t stop me! I can’t wait to try this and spread it on ALL the things!! Cheers!
This looks yummy! I will try this.
Love the color of this. I can see this on toast alone.. Yummy
English muffins here, but yeah 🙂
OMG this looks perfect! Love that bright color–I’m sure the kids will eat this, can’t wait to make it for them!!
How about a pb and cranapple butter sandwich?
The color’s so pretty, I think I’d just sit and stare at it for awhile! But then I have a feeling I’d be slathering it on everything! Sounds wonderful!
We’re loving it…I meant to save some for a baking project, but it’s too good on our morning toast 🙂
Wow … really this is magnificent! That texture looks as creamy as butter and the color is gorgeous. You knocked it out of the park again! I just put cranberries on my list because this is a must make recipe. Thanks for sharing!
Cranberries should be coming out this week, I can’t wait! (I used a bag of frozen berries that I had from last year)