Slow Cooker Cracker Barrel Fried Apples

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Sure — here’s your full, big, comfort-style recipe just like you asked ❤️👇

🍎🍯 Slow Cooker Cracker Barrel Fried Apples

Tender, Sweet & Old-Fashioned Comfort Favorite

🌟 Introduction

Cracker Barrel–style Fried Apples are one of those cozy dishes that instantly feel like home. Warm, buttery, cinnamon-spiced apples simmer slowly until tender and wrapped in a glossy caramel sauce. Whether served as a dessert, breakfast topping, or sweet side dish, these apples bring pure Southern comfort to your table. Best of all — the slow cooker does all the work!

Perfect over pancakes, waffles, oatmeal, pork chops, or straight from the bowl with vanilla ice cream.

🛒 Ingredients

  • 6 cups apples (Granny Smith, Fuji, or Honeycrisp), peeled & sliced
  • ½ cup brown sugar
  • ¼ cup white granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 2 tablespoons water
  • ¼ cup butter, cubed
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional but delicious)

👩‍🍳 Instructions

  1. Peel, core, and slice apples into thick wedges. Place in slow cooker.
  2. In a small bowl, mix brown sugar, white sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Sprinkle over apples and toss gently.
  3. Add butter cubes evenly across the top.
  4. Cover and cook:
    • LOW for 3–4 hours or
    • HIGH for 2 hours,
      stirring once halfway through.
  5. In a small cup, mix cornstarch with water until smooth. Stir into apples during the last 30 minutes to thicken the sauce.
  6. Stir in vanilla if using. Let sit 10 minutes before serving.

Your apples should now be soft, glossy, and swimming in cinnamon caramel sauce.

🔥 Cooking Methods

🐢 Slow Cooker (Classic Method)

Best flavor and texture — gentle heat creates perfectly tender apples.

🍳 Stovetop Method

Cook apples and ingredients in a large skillet over medium-low heat for 20–25 minutes, stirring often.

🔥 Oven Method

Bake covered at 350°F (175°C) for about 40 minutes, stirring halfway.

📜 A Little History

Fried apples come from old Appalachian and Southern kitchens where fruit was slowly cooked with sugar and spices to preserve flavor and warmth during colder months. Cracker Barrel made this humble dish famous by serving it as a comforting side alongside hearty country meals — and now it’s a beloved classic across America.

🧡 Why Everyone Loves These Fried Apples

  • Soft, melt-in-your-mouth texture
  • Sweet cinnamon flavor
  • Pairs with breakfast, dinner, or dessert
  • Easy hands-off cooking
  • Kid-friendly and crowd-pleasing

Serve with:
🥞 Pancakes or waffles
🍦 Vanilla ice cream
🥩 Pork chops or ham
🥣 Oatmeal
🍰 Pound cake

🧬 Formation (How the Magic Happens)

As the apples cook slowly, their natural juices combine with butter and sugars, forming a rich syrup. Cinnamon and nutmeg infuse warmth, while cornstarch thickens everything into that signature Cracker Barrel glaze.

💖 For the Lovers of Comfort Food

This recipe is for lovers of warm desserts, cozy kitchens, family gatherings, and classic flavors. It’s simple, nostalgic, and always hits the heart.

Conclusion

Slow Cooker Cracker Barrel Fried Apples are proof that simple ingredients can create something truly special. Sweet, tender, and bursting with cinnamon goodness, this dish belongs in every comfort-food collection. Make it once — and it’ll become a forever favorite.

If you’d like, I can also give you:

✅ Copycat Cracker Barrel Hashbrown Casserole
✅ Old-Fashioned Apple Dumplings
✅ Southern Peach Cobbler
✅ Slow Cooker Bread Pudding

Just tell me ❤️🍎

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