The Store-Bought Apple Butter Trick That'll Make Breakfast So Much Tastier

When leaves start transforming into a kaleidoscope of warm colors and crisp breezes become a regularity, people begin to crave tasty fall fare. From seasonal sweets to pumpkin beer, there is something in the air that makes many folks want to cozy up and enjoy all the comforting flavors that autumn has to offer (especially members of Starbucks' secret fall society). Apple butter is a breakfast staple in many households as the days grow shorter, and while it's good as is, it can be easily upgraded to exhibit an even greater fall flavor profile with a little help from your slow cooker.

Store-bought apple butter typically has a strong apple overtone without much else going on in the flavor department. Putting some in your slow cooker — just set to warm — softens the butter and allows you to stir in your favorite fall spices. Cardamom, ginger, cinnamon, or even your favorite pumpkin spice blend can transform a simple apple butter into a spectacular, tailor-made spread that perfectly complements a humble piece of toast or fluffy pancakes at breakfast.

Enhancing the flavor of the condiment isn't the only benefit you receive from improving jarred apple butter. As those warming spices heat up in the slow cooker, they fill your home with a soothing aroma that embodies the fall season. Forget pumpkin spice-scented candles; let the amazing smells of fall waft through your house from your slow cooker as you make a tasty seasonal spread to complement your breakfast.

Adding warming spices to store-bought apple butter isn't the only way to elevate breakfast during the fall. Sometimes, a little something sweet is just the perk you need on brisk mornings to encourage you to start the day. Caramel and apple go together like peanut butter and jelly, and by adding a drizzle of fall's most beloved sugary sauce to your enhanced apple butter, you get both seasonal flavors all wrapped up into one tasty condiment. You can even melt the caramel in the slow cooker once the butter has sufficiently softened.

If you really want to go the extra mile, you can make your own apple butter with a caramel twist. All that's required is taking jarred apple sauce, mixing it with brown sugar, cinnamon, and any other warming spices you think would level up the spread, then letting it simmer over medium-high heat until it acquires a buttery texture. In a separate heavy-bottomed pan, dissolve regular cane sugar in a bit of water, heat until the sugar achieves a caramel color, then mix in butter and cream. Combine the two blends, and homemade apple butter is served. You lose the convenience factor that makes a store-bought version appealing, but you gain the advantage of being able to tweak the ingredients so your spread comes out just the way you like it.