Swaps and Substitutions

• You can replace the pears with more apples and make pure apple butter.
• Suitable apple alternatives: Pink Lady®, Kanzi, Braeburn, or Jazz® apples.
• Alternative pear varieties to use: red or green Anjou (D'Anjou), Comice or Bosc. Avoid Asian pears, which have a higher water content and a too grainy of a texture.
• Replace the apple cider vinegar with an equal amount of lemon juice. 
• Double the amount of ground cinnamon for more cinnamon flavor and a darker apple pear butter.
• You can replace the ground cinnamon and ground ginger in this recipe with the same amount of Pumpkin Spice Blend.

Tips and Tricks

• Leave the peels on and the seeds in tact. The pectin they contain will help thicken the apple pear butter. You can remove the stems.  
• The longer you cook this apple pear butter, the thicker it will be once it's cooled. Cook this mixture for up to 12 hours to use it in recipes like cheesecake. Cook for only 8 hours for a more spreadable consistency.  
• Uncover the slow cooker after 8 hours if you want super-thick butter and continue cooking it for 4 more hours. Stir it every half-hour.
• You can jar the apple pear butter even when it's slightly thinner than what you want. The pectin will further thicken the apple pear butter as it cools. 

Stovetop Apple Pear Butter

1. Prep and blend the apples and pears as instructed above and pour the puree into a 6-quart Dutch oven along with the brown sugar, spices, then stir to combine.
2. Bring the mixture up to a gentle simmer over medium heat. Once the mixture begins to bubble like lava, reduce the stove temp to medium-low.
3. Simmer the apple pear butter over medium-low heat, uncovered, for 1 hour 15 minutes-1 1/2 hours, stirring every 10 minutes, until the mixture has reduced by more than half. 
4. After the apple pear butter is thickened, proceed with jarring and cooling it. 

Oven Apple Pear Butter

1. Preheat your oven to 400°F (204°C).
2. Prep and blend the apples and pears as instructed above and pour the puree into a 6-quart Dutch oven along with the brown sugar, spices, and vanilla. Stir to combine.
3. Bring the mixture in the pot to a boil over medium-high heat, then transfer the uncovered dutch oven to the hot oven and bake for 30 minutes.
4. After 30 minutes, pull the oven rack out and carefully stir the apple pear butter in the pot. Return the rack to the oven and cook for another 30 minutes, then repeat the stirring process.
5. Cook the apple pear butter for 2 1/2 hours or until it reaches your desired consistency. Once the butter is thickened, proceed with jarring and cooling it. 

Storage Instructions

• Transfer the apple pear butter to a food storage container or glass jar with a tight-fitting lid. If you're not sealing it, wait for it to cool before putting a lid on the container to avoid condensation from forming on the lid and dripping back onto the apple pear butter.
• Store this apple pear butter in the fridge for up to a month. When scooping out the butter, always use a clean spoon or knife to avoid introducing bacteria to the jar.
• Try to avoid leaving the apple pear butter out at room temperature for more than 15 minutes at a time. This will prolong its storage life. Scoop out what you plan to eat and put the rest of the apple pear butter back in the fridge.

Freezing Instructions

1. Allow the apple pear butter to cool completely. 
2. Transfer the butter to a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 1 year.
3. Thaw the apple pear butter in the fridge and stir well before using it. Use any previously frozen apple pear butter within 2 weeks of thawing.