Small Batch Homemade Apple Butter Recipe
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This homemade apple butter is fall season sealed in a jar. It’s so warm, comforting, and delicious. This recipe for stovetop apple butter is perfect for when you have a handful of apples in the kitchen.
Homemade Apple Butter
Fall recipes are some of the best comfort food recipes around with recipes like this easy-to-make apple butter, pumpkin roll recipe, pumpkin pie souffle’, and roasted butternut squash soup recipe – fall is definitely not lacking delicious flavors and down-home comfort.
What You’ll Love About this Apple Butter Recipe
- These would be great gifts to give out to friends and family.
- With only yielding 2 cups of butter, you won’t be overwhelmed with a large amount to can for later.
- This apple butter is perfect to spread on toast, English muffins, scones, biscuits, and more.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- medium apples, peeled and sliced
- light brown sugar
- ground cinnamon
- nutmeg
- ground cloves
Equipment
blender – Using a blender instead of a hand masher is preferred. It will chop up any unwanted apple peels and puree the mixture into a smooth spreadable butter
double boiler
Optional: Food Mill. This would be used in place of a blender. A food mill is a non-electric food processer that you is an old-fashioned way to puree sauces. The one thing it does that a blender can not do is that it strains seeds and peels for you to discard
Instructions
Place cider in the bottom of a double boiler
Turn the heat up until the cider starts to boil in the pot, then reduce heat to low/med and let simmer.
Place the top half of the boiler onto the bottom section and pour in the apples.
Place lid on the pan, and simmer for about 15 minutes
You should still have cider at the bottom of the pan
Transfer apples to a bowl and stir in the spices, sugar, and cider from the boiler
Transfer the apples to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.
Transfer the blended apple butter to a pan (the bottom of the double broiler you used before will work)
Cook on medium for about five more minutes.
- While the mixture is still hot, distribute the butter into mason jar or jars and add lids right away so the steam seals the jars.
Expert Tip
When spooning into a Mason Jar, the mixture will be very hot. Use a towel to help you hold it in place while you screw the lid on tightly. You might notice that the top of the jar had an airpocket that can be pushed down. That will seal within 24 hours. When sealed properly, the air pocket will no longer be evident and when you push down on the lid, it should not move.
What to Serve Apple Butter with?
I love to spread apple butter on a buttered biscuit or English muffin as a breakfast treat
Spread apple butter on pancakes or waffles in place of syrup
Apple butter is also delicious on cooked pork chops as a side sauce or cook the pork smothered in homemade apple butter
Serve a heaping spoonful of apple butter over a scoop of vanilla ice cream as a dessert treat
Serve alongside cheese and crackers for a sweet and savory snack
FAQs
What is the difference between applesauce and apple butter?
Applesauce is a much quicker process with less intense flavoring. Both applesauce and apple butter involve cooking down apples with liquid and spices, but apple butter is cooked longer resulting in a silky, thicker, and carmelized apple butter that is perfect for spreading.
Can I make this apple butter recipe in the slow cooker?
Yes! Cook the apples in the apple cider juice on high until tender. Add spices to the apples, and use an immersion blender or transfer to a blender to blend. Cook for about 30 more minutes on high or until it has reached a dark caramelized color.
Typically an apple recipe will call for a Granny Smith apples because of its’ tartness. But, with apple butter, you want to go for a sweeter apple like Gala apples, McInstosh apple, Golden Delicious, or Fuji apples.
Storing and Reheating
Store apple butter in an airtight container for several weeks or freeze for several months
More Fall Recipes You’ll Love
Serving Size
You can expect to get one 16 oz. Mason Jar full of apple butter or 2 cups
Let’s Hang Out
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Printable Instructions
Small Batch Homemade Apple Butter Recipe
Equipment
- double boiler
- blender
- mason jar – I used one 16 oz. jar to store my apple butter optional
Ingredients
- 6 medium apples peeled and sliced
- ½ cup apple cider
- 2 cups light brown sugar
- 1&1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp. nutmeg
- ½ tsp. ground cloves
Instructions
- Place cider in the bottom of a double boiler
- Turn the heat up until the cider starts to boil, then reduce heat to low/med and let simmer
- Place the top of the boiler onto the bottom portion and pour in the apples
- Place lid on the pan, and simmer for about 15 minutes
- You should still have cider at the bottom of the pan
- Transfer apples to a bowl and stir in the spices, sugar, and cider from the boiler
- Transfer the apples to a blender, or food processor and blend until smooth
- Transfer the blended apple butter to a pan (the bottom of the double broiler you used before will work)
- Cook on medium for about 5 more minutes
- While the mixture is still hot, distribute the butter into mason jar or jars, and add lids right away so the steam seals the jars
Notes
Storing:
Once opened, store apple butter in the refrigerator for up to one year.How do you know if apple butter has gone bad?
Check for mold and a bad smell. If you see or smell signs of either, then toss it out. nutrition facts are only an estimateNutrition
~Melissa – KidFriendlyThingsToDo.Com
How should your apple butter from your recipe be stored? Does it have to be refrigerated or can it be stored on a shelf unrefrigerated? Also how long will it keep?
Hi Karen. I’m sorry it took so long to reply. I’ve been sending kids off to school and off to college this week. 🙁 I would suggest that once you’ve dug into your apple butter, and broken the seal on the jar – store it in the refrigerator. Apple butter generally lasts up to one year stored in the refrigerator. Thank you for the question. I will update the recipe card with the information.