This slow cooker 4-ingredient Amish sugar cream apples recipe is the kind of simple, sweet comfort you’d find on a farmhouse table after Sunday supper. It’s inspired by old Amish sugar cream pies and baked apple dishes, but here we skip the fuss and let the slow cooker do the work. You just tumble in raw sliced apples, sprinkle on two trusty pantry staples, and pour heavy cream over the top. A few hours later, you’ve got tender apples in a rich, buttery-sweet cream sauce that seems to disappear faster than anything else on the dessert table.
Serve these warm sugar cream apples in a bowl with a good drizzle of the sweet cream from the bottom of the slow cooker. They’re lovely on their own, but really shine spooned over vanilla ice cream, pound cake, or warm biscuits. A dollop of whipped cream or a scoop of yogurt turns them into a cozy breakfast, and if you have leftovers, they’re wonderful reheated and spooned over oatmeal or pancakes the next morning.
Slow Cooker Amish Sugar Cream ApplesServings: 6
Ingredients
6 medium apples, peeled, cored, and sliced (about 2 to 2 1/2 pounds)
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Directions
Lightly grease a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker with butter or cooking spray to help keep the apples from sticking.
Peel, core, and slice the apples into about 1/2-inch thick slices. They don’t have to be perfect; just keep them roughly the same size so they cook evenly.
Place the sliced apples into the bottom of the slow cooker, spreading them out into an even layer.
In a small bowl, stir together the granulated sugar and ground cinnamon until the sugar looks evenly speckled with cinnamon.
Sprinkle the cinnamon-sugar mixture evenly over the raw sliced apples in the slow cooker, letting it fall down between the slices.
Slowly pour the heavy cream over the sugared apples, making sure to cover as much of the surface as you can. You should see the cream pooling down around the apples.
Cover the slow cooker with the lid and cook on LOW for 3 to 4 hours, or until the apples are very tender and the cream and sugar have formed a sweet, pourable sauce. Avoid lifting the lid too often so the heat stays in.
Once the apples are tender, gently stir from the bottom to coat all the slices with the sugar cream sauce. Taste and add a sprinkle more cinnamon on top if you like.
Serve the sugar cream apples warm, spooning plenty of the sweet cream over each serving. The sauce will thicken slightly as it cools.
Variations & Tips
Use any firm baking apple you have on hand—Jonathan, Honeycrisp, Granny Smith, or a mix will all work, and mixing varieties gives a nice balance of tart and sweet. If you like a deeper flavor, swap half of the granulated sugar for brown sugar, which will give the sauce a more caramel-like taste. For a touch of vanilla, stir in 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract during the last 15 minutes of cooking so it stays fragrant. If your apples are very tart, you can add an extra tablespoon or two of sugar; if they’re very sweet, cut the sugar back slightly. To make the sauce a bit thicker, let the finished apples sit with the lid off for 10 to 15 minutes on WARM, or mash a few of the slices into the cream. For a lighter version, you can use half-and-half instead of heavy cream, though the sauce will be a bit thinner. Serve leftovers over oatmeal, French toast, or waffles for an easy breakfast treat.
