Apple butter takes planning – you will need hours to cook it down, but as long as you keep an eye on it, you can get other things done at the same time. I go for a big pot of it so that I can have seven jars for the winter.
I used “seconds” for the apples, which were somewhat small. They were an older variety that easily mushed up under cooking. The key to choosing the right apples is to avoid hard, crisp ones that don’t cook down well. Ugly apples are a good choice.
Apple Butter
Ingredients:
- 10 pounds of apples
- 5 cups water
- 10 cups sugar
- 5 tsp pumpkin pie or apple pie spice blend
- ½ cup + 2 Tbsp bottled lemon juice
Directions:
Wash the apples, air dry. Peel apples, quarter them, and discard the cores. Add to a tall pot, preferably a heavy stainless steel stockpot. Add the water, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer until the apples are tender. Use a potato masher to finish breaking them up.
Add the sugar, spices, and lemon juice, stirring in.
Let cook over medium heat, stirring periodically to avoid sticking on the bottom. Be very wary of hot apple pulp – if it spits at you, it can and will burn you due to the sugar content. I suggest wearing a mitt.
Let cook for 2 to 4 hours, lowering the temperature as needed, to maintain a gentle low boil. When ready, the well-stirred butter will mound on a spoon – it should be very thick. It will have reduced in volume by about half.
Near the end, take 7 pint jars, place them in a water bath canning kettle, fill the jars and the pot with water, to just over the top of the jars. Bring to a boil.
Place the rings and lids in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer.
Lay out a clean kitchen towel, drain the jars back into the pot, and place the jars on the towel.
Sterilize your funnel, ladle, and air bubble tool in the boiling water.
Ladle in the hot apple butter, leaving a ¼” headspace. Run the air bubble tool through the jar. Add more butter if there is space.
Take a damp paper towel and wipe the rims. Place a lid on, then finger-tighten the ring.
Place in the pot, bring it back up to a boil, and can for 15 minutes. Turn off the burner, take off the pot’s lid, and let it sit for 5 minutes.
Remove the jars and let them cool on a clean kitchen towel. Once cooled. Remove the rings (wash and dry) and check that the lids are sealed and don’t flex when touched.
Mark the date canned on the lid, use within a year for best results.
Makes 7 pint jars.
~Sarah
