Apple Butter
This apple butter is a good idea if you find yourself with an unexpected surplus. The first time I made this, the surplus was accidental. The next few times? Definitely on purpose. Richly spiced and smooth, I love adding this to charcuterie boards with a sharper cheese.
Apples
Use your favorites! I like a balance that favors tartness, so I use Granny Smith and Honeycrisp in equal parts. Check the flavor profiles of the apples youโre using to see if theyโll give you the taste youโre looking for. When choosing the apples themselves, no matter the type, try to pick fruit that doesnโt have rotten spots.
If you see any spoiled areas, just dig them out with a spoon until healthy apple flesh appears.
Cores and Skins
Whether or not you leave the cores and skins depends on the equipment youโre using. I have a food mill that separates the cooked apple puree from the skins and cores. If you donโt have a food mill, then just peel the apples and remove the cores before you start cooking.
If you arenโt using a food mill, mash the peeled apples as they soften during cooking. This can be done with the back of a wooden spoon or a potato masher.
But first, applesauce
Before you start cooking the apples, toss them in sugar and lemon juice. This applies to both chopped and skin on with the cores, and peeled with no cores. Add the coated apples to a saucepan with some apple cider.
You could use water and still make decent apple butter, but with apple cider so readily available right now, it makes more sense to use it instead. If you have leftover cider, use it up by making a batch (or 3!) of my baked apple cider donuts!
After the apples have cooked down in the cider, youโll have applesauce. Pass the applesauce through a food mill (if youโre using one) or, if you peeled and cored your apples beforehand, move on with the recipe.
Reduce by half
You should have roughly 2 cups of applesauce at this point. Add your brown sugar and spices and continue to cook down until you have about a cup of apple butter. You can stop cooking it sooner or later, depending on how thick/thin you want the apple butter to be. I donโt recommend much longer than an hour, though โ or it may get too thick and burn to the bottom of the pan.
Use and Storage
This apple butter is useful for both sweet and savory things! I love it with sharp cheddar cheese on a rye cracker, and it really works well as a swirl in a babka loaf. Iโve also made bacon and caramelized onion grilled cheese with this, too! (Both of those recipes coming soon!)
Store the finished apple butter in the fridge, tightly covered, for a month. If you would like to store long term, add the finished butter to 2 half pint jars and process in a boiling water bath for 20 minutes.
Apple Butter
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour + 25 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour + 40 minutes
- Yield: 1 cup (16 Tablespoons) 1x
- Category: Condiments
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Description
Smooth and spiced, this recipe for apple butter is perfect for both the sweet and the savory.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 โ 2 lbs apples, any kind, skin on, cored and chopped (reserve cores)
- 1/2 cup apple cider
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 TB lemon juice (fresh or bottled)
- 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp ground cloves
- 1/4 tsp salt
Instructions
- If you are not using a food mill, peel and core the apples, discarding the skins and cores, and continue with the step 3.
- If using a food mill, add the chopped, skin on apples and cores to a large pot or saucepan.
- Add the apple cider, granulated sugar, lemon juice to the saucepan, toss everything together and bring to a simmer over medium high heat. Once simmering, reduce to medium low, cover the pot and continue to cook for 25 minutes. If you areย notย using a food mill, use a potato masher or the back of a wooden spoon to break down and mash the apples as they cook.
- After 25 minutes, the apples will have cooked down into applesauce.
- Remove from the heat, discard any cores, and process the hot apples through a food mill to remove the skins and seeds, if necessary.
- Return the applesauce to the pot and add the brown sugar, cinnamon, cloves and salt. Stir frequently with a spatula and continue to cook over medium heat until the applesauce has reduced down by half, about an hour. It will be a rich caramel color and thick enough to cling onto a spoon.
- Allow to cool to room temperature before storing in the fridge for up to a month. See above post for canning recommendations.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 tablespoon
- Calories: 40
- Sugar: 8.8 g
- Sodium: 38 mg
- Fat: 0.1 g
- Saturated Fat: 0 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 10.8 g
- Fiber: 0.5 g
- Protein: 0.2 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
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