Found this in my aunt's old church cookbook from Lancaster. She circled it three times and wrote make this in the margin

This slow cooker 5-ingredient Amish pork chops and apples recipe is exactly the kind of thing you’d expect to find scribbled in the margins of an old Lancaster church cookbook. The ingredients are humble, the method is simple, and the payoff is big: fall-off-the-bone pork chops nestled in soft, caramelized apples and a cinnamon-brown sugar sauce. It’s the kind of set-it-and-forget-it dinner I make on busy workdays, when I want the house to smell like I’ve been cooking all day but I’ve actually been on Zoom calls.

With only five pantry-style ingredients and a slow cooker doing the heavy lifting, this one absolutely earns a triple circle and a “make this” in the margin.

Serve these Amish-style pork chops and apples straight from the slow cooker with plenty of that cinnamon-brown sauce spooned over the top. They’re perfect over mashed potatoes, buttered egg noodles, or simple steamed rice to soak up the juices. Add a green side like roasted Brussels sprouts, sautéed green beans, or a crisp salad with a tangy vinaigrette to balance the sweetness.

Warm dinner rolls or crusty bread are great for mopping up the sauce, and if you want to lean into the cozy church-supper vibes, finish the meal with something simple like applesauce cake or vanilla ice cream.

Slow Cooker Amish Pork Chops and Apples

Servings: 4

Ingredients

4 bone-in pork chops, about 1-inch thick (2 to 2 1/2 pounds total)
4 large firm apples (such as Honeycrisp, Granny Smith, or Gala), peeled, cored, and sliced 1/2-inch thick
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup apple cider or apple juice

Directions

Lightly grease the inside of a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker with cooking spray or a thin swipe of oil so the apples don’t stick too much.

Spread the sliced apples evenly in the bottom of the slow cooker. They will cook down and create a soft, caramelized bed for the pork chops.

In a small bowl, stir together the brown sugar and ground cinnamon until the mixture is evenly combined and no big clumps of sugar remain.

Sprinkle about half of the cinnamon-brown sugar mixture evenly over the apples in the slow cooker.

Lay the bone-in pork chops in a single layer on top of the apples. It’s okay if they overlap just a little, but try to keep them mostly in one layer so they cook evenly and get that tender, pull-from-the-bone texture.

Sprinkle the remaining cinnamon-brown sugar mixture evenly over the tops of the pork chops, coating as much of the surface as you can.

Pour the apple cider or apple juice around the pork chops into the slow cooker, trying not to wash all the sugar mixture off the meat. The liquid should mostly sit around the chops and apples, not fully cover them.

Cover the slow cooker with the lid and cook on LOW for 6 to 7 hours, or until the pork chops are very tender and the meat is starting to pull away from the bone. Avoid lifting the lid too often so you don’t lose heat and moisture.

Once done, carefully lift the pork chops out with a wide spatula or tongs—they will be very tender—and nestle them back down into the apples if you want that cozy, all-in-one serving look. Gently stir the apples and sauce together around the chops to create a soft, caramelized apple mixture in the cinnamon-brown sauce.

Taste the sauce and apples; if you’d like it a little less sweet, you can stir in a small splash of extra apple cider or a squeeze of lemon juice right in the slow cooker. Serve the pork chops hot, spooning plenty of apples and sauce over each chop.


Variations & Tips

You can swap the apple cider or apple juice for chicken broth if you prefer things a little less sweet, though the classic church cookbook style leans into the apple flavor. For more depth, add a pinch of salt and a small splash of apple cider vinegar over the apples before adding the pork chops, though this will technically take you over five ingredients. If you like a hint of spice, a pinch of ground nutmeg or cloves mixed into the cinnamon-brown sugar is very cozy.

Boneless pork chops can be used, but reduce the cooking time to about 4 to 5 hours on LOW and watch closely so they don’t dry out; bone-in chops hold up better and stay juicier. If your apples are very sweet, using a tart variety like Granny Smith for at least half of them helps balance the sauce. For meal prep, you can slice the apples and mix the cinnamon and brown sugar the night before; store the apples in an airtight container in the fridge and assemble everything in the slow cooker in the morning.

Food safety tips: Always keep raw pork refrigerated until you’re ready to cook, and wash your hands, cutting boards, and knives thoroughly after handling it. Cook pork chops to a minimum internal temperature of 145°F (63°C), though in this recipe they will go beyond that and become very tender due to the long, moist cooking time. Do not leave the cooked pork chops sitting at room temperature for more than 2 hours; refrigerate leftovers promptly in shallow containers and use within 3 to 4 days, reheating until hot all the way through before serving.