This recipe yields a rich, smooth, and deeply flavorful apple butter, perfect for spreading on toast, biscuits, or using as a filling for pastries. It’s a simple process that transforms a bounty of apples into a pantry staple.
Ingredients:
- Apples: 3-4 pounds (about 1.5 to 2 kilograms), a mix of sweet and tart varieties like Honeycrisp, Gala, Fuji, and Granny Smith works well.
- Sugar: 1/2 to 1 cup (100 to 200 grams), brown sugar or granulated sugar, or a mix of both. The amount will depend on the apples sweetness and how sweet you prefer.
- Spices:
- 1-2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon of ground cloves. (Optional)
- ¼ teaspoon of ground allspice. (Optional)
- Liquid: 1/2 cup (120 ml) apple cider, apple juice, or water.
- Lemon juice: 2 tablespoons (30 ml), fresh lemon juice.
- Vanilla extract: 1 teaspoon (5ml) (Optional, Added near the end of cooking.)
Instructions:
- Prepare the Apples:
- Wash, peel, core, and roughly chop the apples.
- Note: you can also leave the peels on the apples to increase the fiber of your apple butter. However, it will change the final texture.
- Cook the Apples:
- Place the chopped apples in a large, heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven.
- Add the sugar, spices, apple cider (or juice/water), and lemon juice.
- Stir to combine.
- Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat.
- Reduce the heat to low, cover the pot, and simmer for 1 to 2 hours, or until the apples are very soft and falling apart. Stir occasionally to prevent scorching.
- Purée the Apples:
- Once the apples are tender, remove the pot from the heat.
- Use an immersion blender to purée the apples directly in the pot until smooth. Alternatively, you can transfer the apples to a blender or food processor and purée them.
- If you do not have either, you may also use a potato masher, though this will result in a less smooth texture.
- Thicken the Apple Butter:
- Return the puréed apples to the pot.
- Cook over low heat, uncovered, for another 1 to 2 hours, or until the apple butter has thickened to your desired consistency. Stir frequently to prevent scorching.
- The apple butter is ready when a spoon drawn through it leaves a clear trail on the bottom of the pot.
- stir in the vanilla extract during the last 15 minutes of cooking.
- Canning (Optional):
- If you plan to can the apple butter, prepare your canning jars and lids according to standard canning procedures.
- Ladle the hot apple butter into the prepared jars, leaving 1/4-inch headspace.
- Process the jars in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.
- If you are not canning the Apple Butter, you can simply store it in air tight containers in the refridgerator.
- Cool and Store:
- Let the jars cool completely.
- Store in a cool, dark place.
- Apple butter stored within the refrigerator will typically last for a couple weeks. Apple butter that has been correctly canned will last for a much greater amount of time.
Tips and Variations:
- For a deeper flavor, use brown sugar instead of white sugar.
- Add a splash of apple cider vinegar for a tangier apple butter.
- Add a pinch of cayenne pepper for a spicy kick.
- When cooking the apple butter, pay close attention to the bottom of the pot, as the sugars in the apple butter can easily burn.
- A slow cooker can also be utilized for this recipe. Add all ingredients into the slow cooker, and cook on low for 8-10 hours, then puree, and if needed cook on high, uncovered, until the proper consistency is reached.
Enjoy your homemade apple butter!