As I’m writing this post, the sun is shining, the air is warm and crisp and the sky is bright blue. By the look of things, one would never guess that it’s been raining for what seems to be an eternity. Even Chef Remy has had it with the weather and had to, literally, be carried outside for the past several days. As you might have guessed, he’s not a fan of getting wet although he does enjoy being rubbed down with a warm towel afterwards…no, he’s not spoiled at all (eye roll).

Saturday was the first day of fall, my favorite season, and I had hoped to kick it off with a trip to the pumpkin patch. Not necessarily to pick pumpkins just yet (I love to spread out my autumnal activities so I can really savor the season) but to buy the best apple butter on the planet which they happen to also sell.

But, Mother Nature had other plans. And, while tropical storm Ophelia was busy ranting and raving like a woman scorned, we stayed indoors as much as possible and kept cozy with warm comfort food and Netflix.

But, I LOVE apple butter and having some on a slice of toasted homemade challah bread was all I could think about. So, because we were homebound and because I still had a surplus of apples left over from Rosh Hashanah, I decided to take matters into my own hands. That’s what led me to this recipe from Half Baked Harvest for a slow cooker maple apple butter.

Cinnamon, vanilla, nutmeg, cloves, maple syrup, apple cider and apples all tossed together in the bowl of a slow cooker and left to mingle for hours made my house smell so incredible that I almost didn’t mind skipping the pumpkin patch.

And, because there’s only maybe fifteen minutes of labor involved, I was free to stay on the couch all day with Chef Remy snoring by my side. But, nothing this easy could possibly have a high flavor reward. Right? Wrong… this was definitely better than anything I’ve ever bought before (sorry pumpkin patch people).

Thick, smooth and sweetened with just a bit of maple syrup instead of sugar, this is definitely healthier than most store bought apple butters. And, the warm autumn spices make this the perfect spread to use this time of year.

And did I mention how incredibly versatile it is? The recipe called for honey crisp apples but in addition to this variety, I had a mix of Granny Smith’s and Red Delicious as well. I chopped all those apples up, tossed them into the pot and the result was super yummy. So feel free to use whatever you have on hand.

Plus, it will last in your fridge for several weeks so you can take your time enjoying it in a yogurt parfait, on top of toasted bread, in your favorite fall cocktail, in the middle of a grilled cheese sandwich or, if you’re like me, on a spoon straight out of the jar.

I hope that you’ll give this Slow Cooker Maple Apple Butter recipe a whirl. If you do, please let me know what you think or tag me on Instagram. I always love hearing from everyone and seeing pictures of anything that you make. And above all, thank you so much for stopping by.