Old-Fashioned Peach Butter

Name: Old-Fashioned Peach Butter
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 9 h
Total time: 9 h 25 min
Yield: 9 cups.
Ingredients: 14 cups coarsely chopped peeled fresh or frozen peaches (about 5-1/2 pounds); 2-1/2 cups sugar; 4-1/2 teaspoons lemon juice; 1-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon; 3/4 teaspoon ground cloves; 1/2 cup quick-cooking tapioca

Cinnamon and ground cloves add down-home flavor to this spread for toast or biscuits. Using the slow cooker eliminates much of the stirring required when simmering fruit butter on the stovetop. —Marilou Robinson, Portland, Oregon

Ingredients

14 cups coarsely chopped peeled fresh or frozen peaches (about 5-1/2 pounds)
2-1/2 cups sugar
4-1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
1-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 cup quick-cooking tapioca

Directions

In a large bowl, combine the peaches, sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon and cloves. Transfer to a 5-qt. slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours or until peaches are very soft, stirring occasionally.
Stir in tapioca. Cook, uncovered, on high for 1 hour or until thickened. Pour into jars or freezer containers; cool to room temperature, about 1 hour. Cover and refrigerate up to 3 weeks or freeze up to 1 year. To use frozen peach butter: Thaw in the refrigerator for 1-2 days; use within 3 weeks.

Nutrition Facts

2 tablespoons: 46 calories, 0 fat (0 saturated fat), 0 cholesterol, 0 sodium, 12g carbohydrate (10g sugars, 1g fiber), 0 protein.

Originally published as Old-Fashioned Peach Butter in Quick Cooking July/August 2003

Reviews

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Average Rating:

Orbs

Aug 5, 2016

I didn't add the sugar or lemon juice but added 1 diced apple. I used the peach butter as a sauce for chicken. Delicious! Thank you, Marilou, for sharing your recipe.
mollysmom1026

Jun 30, 2016

This recipe turned out delicious! I wondered whether the tapioca was to be cooked before I added it but I added it uncooked and it was great. My peaches weren't as finely chopped as I wanted so before I added the tapioca, I used a potato masher. I just mashed them up more right in the slow cooker. It tuned out perfect!
PrplMonky5

Jun 30, 2016

This tasted just how I thought it would. Because of the amount of peaches I had, I had to cut this recipe into quarters. That would have meant I should have used 3/8tsp ground cloves... I only used 1/8. I'm also not sure what I did wrong but the tapioca didn't really dissolve. It thickened the peach butter but there were small white balls in it. If anyone has suggestions on how to fix that, I'd love to hear it! I also think I overcooked it a bit because it was pretty thick. More like a jam than a butter. To help with the consistency and to get rid of the tapioca, I put it in my food processor. The taste is good, but because of the tapioca and the consistency, I might not try this again.
jtap888

Aug 31, 2015

Made this today. Turned out just as pictured. We liked the flavors, peach, cinnamon, and clove, but may cut back a tinge on the ground cloves next time I make it. Thanks for the recipe.
KTMJ

Aug 14, 2015

Way too much cloves! First batch I followed recipe and pitched. Could not taste peaches over clove taste. Next time used half the amt of cloves as asked for and still could not taste peaches over closes. If I made this again (unlikely) would reduce to a pinch of cloves only.
SBH128

Sep 14, 2014

Fantastic! The only change I made was to use 1/2 white sugar & 1/2 brown sugar and decreased to 2 cups. I was able to use up a ton of peaches that weren't that good for plain eating....worked out great!
daisiesandroses

Sep 26, 2013

This was my first time making any kind of fruit butter, and I loved the results! I used fresh peaches, and didn't add any cloves (personal preference). I loved that it wasn't overly sweet, way less sweet than jam. It let the peach flavor really shine. I diced my peaches pretty large, so it was really chunky. I liked it, but I also think it would be good pureed after cooking (but before adding the tapioca) to make a smooth butter. One last note, I halved the recipe to fit in my 4 qt. slow cooker and it was the perfect amount for that size.
jennmonahan

Aug 31, 2013

I left this in the crock pot overnight and added the tapioca in the morning. The peaches were still very liquidy before adding the tapioca. The last hour is crucial in thickening. Even after the last hour, I had to purée the mixture. The butter thickened quite nicely after being refrigerated. The next time I would cook it for 1.5-2 hours on high to make it a bit thicker. I liked the flavor - its very strong despite decreasing the cloves.