This Just In

Oh glorious autumn! It’s apple season already. 

My dad brought me a bushel of big, delicious MacIntosh apples and over the weekend, I got busy in the kitchen.

The first thing I made was apple butter.  I lo0ooove apple butter.

I made 10 pint jars of traditional apple butter, pictured above left and below:

I also made 12 half pint jars of Caramel Apple Butter, pictured above right and below:

Both butters are wonderful.  The Caramel Apple Butter, however, is different.  It’s made with brown sugar, and it gives the butter a rich, old fashioned taste that you might not expect.  This stuff would be fabulous over ice cream, or yellow cake with ice cream.  Or in shortbread cookies.  Lots of possibilities here.

Apple Butter

Ingredients

8 lbs. apples (I used Macintosh) quartered

4 Cups apple cider or apple juice

5 Cups sugar

1 Tbsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

Directions

In a large saucepan or dutch oven (8 quart or larger) combine  apples and cider. 

Cook over medium heat until apples are softened.

Run apples and cider through a food mill or Victorio squeezer and return the resulting pulp to the pan.

Add sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg.

Stir well to incorporate sugar.

Cook on medium heat, stirring frequently, for 20 minutes. 

Reduce heat and simmer for 20-30 more minutes, until mixture begins to thicken and coats the back of a spoon.

Remove from heat, and ladel into hot jars. 

Wipe rims, apply lids and screw rings on. 

Waterbath process for 15 minutes, or use the hot pack method and turn your jars upside down for five minutes (this is what I do.)

Makes approximately 10 pints.

Caramel Apple Butter

Ingredients

4 cups fresh apple pulp (about 3.5 lbs. apples and 2 C. cider) or unsweetened applesauce

3 Cups light brown sugar, firmly packed

2 Cups granulated sugar

1 tsp. butter

1 package pectin (powdered or liquid)

Directions

Combine apple pulp or sauce with sugars.

Over medium heat, stirring frequently, bring to a full rolling boil.

Add pectin, stirring till dissolved, and butter.

Return to a full rolling boil and boil for 1 minute.

Remove from heat, and ladel into hot jars.

Wipe rims, apply lids and screw rings on. 

Waterbath process for 10 minutes, or use the hot pack method and turn your jars upside down for five minutes (this is what I do.)

Makes 6 half pint jars.

These are easy to make, and are good recipes to try if you’re a first time canner. 

There is nothing so satisfying as a home made biscuit with home made apple butter on a bitter cold winter day–give it a try and see for yourself.

S.

Leave a Reply