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Nothing says fall quite like homemade apple butter! Slow cooked until rich, smooth, and full of spices, this easy recipe is perfect for canning so you can enjoy the taste of fresh apples all year long.

I love the fall.  The weather turning cooler but still being warm enough to wear my sandals, the leaves turn beautiful shades of colors, and there is always an abundance of pumpkins and apples.

I love to bake with both apples and pumpkins.  They are my favorite things to use in recipes in the fall.

For breakfast I can’t get enough of Caramel Apple French Toast. When it’s time for dessert you can’t go wrong with Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies. I also enjoy having a cup of coffee with these Caramel Apple Pie Bars. These Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls are perfect no matter what time of day it is.

I got a huge bags of apples on sale and knew I wanted to can them.  Last year I canned some chunky apple butter that I adored but this year I wanted to make a smoother version of this classic.

What is apple butter?

Apple butter is a thick, smooth fruit spread made by slowly cooking apples with sugar and warm spices until the apples caramelize and become deep brown in color. Despite its name, apple butter doesn’t contain any butter. The  butter refers to its rich, creamy texture.

I went to the market looking for the perfect apple for my apple butter.  I finally settled on a combination of sweet Gala’s and tart McIntosh apples.

What type of apples work best in apple butter?

The best apples for apple butter are flavorful varieties that become soft when cooked. For the richest flavor, use a mix of sweet and tart apples rather than just one variety.  Some good choices are McIntosh, gala, Fuji, Jonagold, Golden Delicious, and Honeycrisp.  Apples to avoid include red delicious, Cosmic Crisps, and Granny Smith apples.

What equipment do I need to can fruit butters and jams?

There are a few main things you need in order to can fruit butters and jams.  The first, and most important, is a large stock pot with a lid.  This will be your boiling water canner and it needs to be deep enough that pint and quart jars can be totally submerged in water.  Other things you might need include:

• Long tongs with vinyl coated handles
• Vinyl coated jar lifter
• Magnetic lid lifter
• Extra wide mouth funnel
• Vinyl coated jar wrench
• Bubble popper/measurer

While you can buy these all separately, you can also buy them as a canning set for under $20.  You can even buy a boiling water canning set that includes the canner, jars, and all of the above mentioned tools.

Making the apple butter is not a hard process but it does take a bit of time.  The longest part of this process is peeling and cutting the apples.  I peeled them all by hand then used an apple corer/slicer to help me cut them.  This cut down on some time but it still took close to 45 minutes to peel and slice all of the apples.

I boiled the apples until they were soft and them put them into the food processor to turn them into pulp.  Then the pulp is mixed with spices and sugar to make the apple butter.  The apple butter is then cooked until it has thickened.

Make sure you taste the apple butter before you pack it into the jars and adjust the spices or fix the sweetness if needed.

How do I fix my apple butter if it’s too sweet?

If your apple butter is too sweet there are a few simple fixes for this.  You can add a half cup of unsweetened applesauce to the apple butter and cook for a few additional minutes until it thickens back up.  You can also add 1-2 tablespoons of lemon juice, mix, and bring to a boil again if needed.  I found that the best way to tone down the sweetness was to add 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar to the mixture and heat for 2-3 additional minutes. 

Ingredients:

• apples
• granulated sugar
• cinnamon or apple pie spice

After the apple butter has thickened it is placed into jars and then processed in the boiling water canner.  Once the jars have been processed they need to cool and hopefully you will hear the “ping, ping, ping” of the jar lids sealing.

What size and type of jars do I need?

You will need to use canning jars that have both lids and screw bands on them.   You can either use half pint jars or pint jars for this recipe.  It will make 7 half pints or 3 pints and one half pint.  

This smooth version of apple butter was really tasty!   It’s sweet but the apple flavor really shined through and the spices were deep in the flavor as well.  It is great on toast, waffles, or even on top of ice cream!

Apple butter is also great as a homemade holiday gift.  I can’t think of a better gift then something that has been canned and can be enjoyed anytime throughout the year!  Put a piece of holiday fabric underneath the screw band to make a pretty presentation when you gift it. 

If you’ve tried my Apple Butter or any other recipe on  Hezzi-D’s Recipe Box please take a minute to rate the recipe and leave a comment letting me know how you liked it. I love hearing from you! You can FOLLOW ME on:

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Classic Apple Butter

Slow cooked apple butter is rich, smooth, and full of spices.

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Prep Time: 40 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour hour

Total Time: 1 hour hour 40 minutes minutes

Servings: 7 half pints

Author: Hezzi-D

Equipment

• 1 large sauce pan
• 1 boiling water canner
• 7 half pint jars
• 1 jar lifter
• 1 magnetic lid lifter

Ingredients

• 4 pounds of apples
• 3 cups granulated sugar
• 2-3 teaspoons cinnamon or apple pie spice

Instructions

• Wash the apples. Core, peel, and slice the apples.
• Combine the apples and 2 cups of water in a large saucepan over medium high heat. Simmer until the apples are soft.
• Pour into a food processor and puree until smooth but not liquified. Measure 6 cups of the pulp.
• Prepare a boiling water canner and 7 half pint jars or 3 pint jars and 1 half pint jar.
• Combine the apple pulp, sugar, and cinnamon in a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook slowly until thick enough to round up on a spoon. Stir frequently to prevent sticking.
• Ladle the hot butter into hot jars leaving 1/4 inch of headspace. Remove air bubbles and readjust headspace.
• Put on the lid and screw band and screw to finger tip tight. Heat in a boiling water canner for 10 minutes with the lid on. Remove from heat and let sit for 5 minutes. Remove from the water and let cool for 12 hours then check to make sure the lids have sealed.
• Store for up to 3 years.

Notes

Recipe from Ball’s Blue Book Guide to Preserving