Transform Your Excess Apples into Delicious Homemade Apple Butter with This Simple Recipe
Capture the essence of autumn with this straightforward apple butter recipe, perfect for spreading on toast or enhancing your favorite dishes with a sweet fall touch. For me, autumn wouldn’t be complete without at least one apple-picking trip, a family tradition since I was young. Despite falling out of an apple tree and breaking my leg at age 5, the tradition endures, and we always bring home more apples than a family could reasonably consume before they soften. This leads to a flurry of baking: apple pies with streusel toppings, apple crisps with homemade whipped cream, apple coffee cakes, and apple muffins.
Recently, I’ve been yearning for apple butter, a concentrated puree of fall’s favorite fruit. Despite its name, apple butter contains no butter; it’s a slow-cooked, thick, sweet, and spiced apple spread perfect for replacing butter on toast, muffins, and more. The main distinction between apple sauce and apple butter lies in the thickness; apple butter is cooked longer, reducing to a thicker consistency.
Apple butter boasts an intense apple flavor, complemented by warm spices like cinnamon, cloves, and allspice. Feel free to adjust the spices to your liking. Any type of apple can be used, with softer varieties like McIntosh, Fuji, or Yellow Delicious cooking down faster for a smoother texture. Start with ½ cup of sugar, taste as you go, and adjust the sweetness and spices to your preference.
To check if your apple butter is thick enough, a spoonful should remain mounded on the spoon or hold its shape without liquid seeping out when placed on a plate. Apple butter is fantastic on various breads, including pumpkin and zucchini bread, enhancing the autumnal vibe. It’s also great stirred into oatmeal, grits, or other breakfast porridges, as a filling for crepes, or mixed into cottage cheese or yogurt. For a lovely sweet fall flavor, brush it on a roast chicken during the last 15 minutes of cooking. It pairs wonderfully with cheeses like cheddar or manchego. In baking, apple butter can replace oil and add natural sweetness, allowing you to reduce the sugar in your recipes.
Store apple butter in the refrigerator for up to three weeks in a tightly sealed container, or freeze it for up to a year, leaving some space for expansion. For longer storage, consider canning it in a hot water bath.
APPLE BUTTER RECIPE
Yields: 1 and 1/2 cups, Serves: 12 people
Ingredients:
- 3 pounds apples (such as McIntosh, Fuji, or Yellow Delicious)
- ½ cup water
- 1/2 to 1 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
Directions:
- Wash, quarter, and core the apples.
- Place apples and water in a large, heavy pot. Simmer over medium-high heat, then reduce to medium and cook uncovered until very tender, about 25 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Add more water if needed to prevent sticking or burning.
- Remove from heat and press apples through a food mill, discarding solids periodically.
- Return the pureed apples to the pot over medium heat. Add ½ cup sugar, cinnamon, cloves, and allspice. Stir frequently until thickened, about 5 minutes. Adjust sugar as needed.
- Seal jars and refrigerate for up to three weeks.
