Slow Cooker Stewed Apples Recipe

When you're busy working, seeing friends, and trying to get all your life admin done, it can be hard to fit in cooking healthy and delicious meals. Slow cookers changed all of that. With so many slow cooker recipes that can make your life easier, now you can plan a meal in the morning, throw all of your ingredients into the slow cooker, and it'll be ready by dinner time. From Instant Pots to Crock-Pots, there are tons of slow cookers on the market, and they make great desserts as well as main courses.

This slow cooker stewed apples recipe is a case in point. Recipe developer Kristen Carli explains that this dessert isn't just super easy and made with ingredients that are commonly found in your cupboard, it's also really warming and delicious.

Normally, if you want to make stewed apples or even applesauce, you need to have the patience to stand over the stove and watch them as they soften or reduce. This slow cooker recipe means you can pop them in the slow cooker on a low setting and forget about them for a few hours. That's beneficial if you're having a dinner party and have lots of other components of the meal to worry about, or if you fancy treating yourself to an evening dessert that's no-fuss but totally delicious.

This recipe is really straightforward. You just need to follow one process and then leave the slow cooker to do its thing. 

This recipe calls for a total of eight apples: four Gala apples and four Granny Smith apples. Kristen Carli says, "I like using a combination of these apples for the best variety in flavor. In a pinch, you could use any variety."

Alongside the apples, you'll need a stick of unsalted butter, plus brown sugar, lemon juice, and ground cinnamon. You'll add these into the slow cooker with the chopped apples to give your dessert lots of warming flavors.

To prepare your apples, you first need to peel them. You can either use a peeler or a knife, and you don't need to worry too much if part of the skin remains on the apple. It'll soften while the apples are in the slow cooker. At this point, you don't want to waste too much of the apples as it'll reduce your portion sizes.

Once your apples are peeled, you can cut them. Ensure that your slices are equal in size and aren't too big, as the bigger they are, the longer they'll take to cook. Making sure that all of your apples are similar sizes will also ensure that they have a similar cooking time.

Now it's time to bring out the slow cooker. You want to pour your apple slices into the large bowl of the slow cooker. Try your best to equally distribute them throughout the slow cooker, to make sure that no area is overcrowded.

By spreading the apples out you'll ensure that they cook evenly, and you won't be left with some that are crunchier than others.

Once you've placed the apples, it's time to add the rest of the ingredients. 

Melt the unsalted butter before you add it as it'll be easier to manage and will stir in better. If you're vegan, you can use free-from butter.

Pour in your melted butter, and add the lemon juice, brown sugar, and cinnamon. You can stir the ingredients in and make sure that all of the apples are coated. You don't need to worry too much about stirring too vigorously. As the apples cook down, the spices and sugar will incorporate.

Once your apples are covered in the sugar, butter, cinnamon, lemon juice, and cinnamon, you can place the lid on your slow cooker. Turn the slow cooker to low heat and cook the apples for around three hours.

Depending on the model of your slow cooker and the size of it, the apples might have slightly different cooking times. If you know that your slow cooker runs hot, then you might want to check on them towards the end of the cooking time. Similarly, if your slow cooker is smaller and the apples are more overcrowded it might take a little longer.

Once the apples are soft, sticky, and golden, they're ready to eat while they're still warm. Kristen Carli says, "These are amazing on their own, but you could serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream."