How to Make Homemade Apple Butter - Easily!
You think making and canning your own apple butter is
difficult? Well, it used to be! Until crock pots and slow cookers
came along!
Now, it's easy! Here's how to do it, complete instructions in easy steps and completely illustrated. The apple butter will taste MUCH better than anything you've ever had from a store. You can make with sugar, with no sugar and no sweetener, or with another sweetener (all described below)
Prepared this way, the jars have a shelf life of 18 months to 2 years, and require no special attention. A side benefit is that your house will smell wonderful while it is cooking - much better than potpourri!
Directions for Making Apple Butter
Yields about 9 - 10 pints
Ingredients and Equipment
- 9 quarts of Applesauce, fresh or canned (See step 1)
-
2 tablespoons of ground cinnamon
-
1 teaspoon ground cloves
-
1/2 teaspoon of allspice
-
2 cups sugar, Splenda or frozen concentrated grape juice.
- Jar grabber (to pick up the hot jars)
- Lid lifter (has a magnet to pick the lids out of the boiling water where you sterilize them. ($2 at WalMart, Target, and sometimes at grocery stores)
- Jar funnel ($2 at WalMart, Target, and sometimes at grocery stores)
- 1 Crock pot (slow cooker) 6 quart size (if your crockpot is smaller, just reduce the ingredients proportionately)
- Large spoons and ladles
- 1 Canner (a huge pot to sterilize the jars of apple butter after filling (about $30 to $35 at mall kitchen stores, sometimes at WalMart (seasonal item))
- Ball jars (Publix, WalMart carry then - about $8 per dozen quart jars including the lids and rings)
Apple Butter Recipe and Directions
Step 1 - Make unsweetened applesauce!
That's right, apple butter starts with
applesauce! You can use store bought applesauce, but the apple
butter won't taste nearly as good. It's better with your own
applesauce (either previously canned or fresh made). So if you haven't made some
applesauce yet start here with how to make
applesauce. Otherwise continue to step 2.
Step 2 - Fill the crock pot
Fill the crock pot to within an inch of
full with applesauce, mine takes about 5.5 quarts. Now, you CAN do this
using a regular large pot on very low heat on the stove, but the
crockpot works much better, because its heat is very low. I've never had
a batch burn in the crockpot.
Step 3 -Add the spices
Add:
-
2 tablespoons of ground cinnamon
-
1 teaspoon ground cloves
-
1/2 teaspoon of allspice
-
2 cups sugar
In place of sugar, you can use an equivalent amount of Splenda (sucralose) OR 1 twelve ounce can of frozen concentrated fruit juice (preferably a neutral juice, like grape or apple)
Step 4 - Cook the Apple butter
Set the crock pot on low or medium
heat.
Cover it loosely or use a large pot splatter-guard. It will spatter as it boils slowly, so I also cover nearby surfaces with towels. You don't want to seal it tightly because you want the steam to escape so it can reduce in volume and thicken.
Leave it to cook for 6 - 12 hours. How long depends on the size and power of your crockpot, and how thick you like it, If you want to stir it occasionally, that's fine but not necessary. I let mine go overnight.
It will reduce in volume by about half overnight. As it cooks down (the next morning), add the remaining applesauce (about 2 or 3 quarts) and 2 more cups of sugar. Then let it cook a couple of hours more to mix the flavors.
Step 5 - Wash the jars and lids
Now's a good time to get the jars ready, so you won't be rushed later.
The dishwasher is fine for the jars, the water bath processing will
sterilize them as well as the contents! If you don't have a dishwasher,
you can wash the containers in hot, soapy water and rinse, then
sterilize the jars by boiling them 10 minutes, and keep the jars in hot
water until they are used.
Leave the jars in the dishwasher on "heated dry" until you are ready to use them. Keeping them hot will prevent the jars from breaking when you fill them with the hot apple butter.
Put the lids into a pan of hot, but not quite boiling water (that's what the manufacturer's recommend) for 5 minutes, and use the magnetic "lid lifter wand" to pull them out.
Step 6 - Blend the apple butter (optional)
You want a smooth, creamy texture, right?
The easiest way is to use a hand-held drink blender. It does a great job
of making it smooth. You can also put it into a regular blender, but
if you are going to do that, you might want to blend the apple sauce
before you put it in the crock pot (it will be much thicker afterwards and
won't move in a regular blender).
Tips:
- Too thick? if the apple butter cooks down too much or is too thick for your liking, just add a little bit of apple juice and blend it in.
- Not thick enough? Just let it cook some more, with the lid off so the steam can escape!
Step 7 - Fill and seal the jars
Fill them to within 1/4 inch of the top, wipe any spilled apple butter of the top, seat the lid and tighten the ring around them.
Step 8 – Process the jars
Process means put them in the canner and keep them covered with at least 1 inch of water and boiling. if you are at sea level (up to 1,000 ft) boil pint jars for 5 minutes and quart jars for 10 min. If you are at an altitude of 1,000 feet or more, see the chart below.
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Recommended process time for Apple Butter in a boiling-water canner. |
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|
Jar Size |
Process Time at Altitudes of |
||
|
|
0 - 1,000 ft |
1,001 - 6,000 ft |
Above 6,000 ft |
|
Half-pints or Pints |
5 min |
10 |
15 |
|
Quarts |
10 |
15 |
20 |
Step 9 - Done
Lift the jars out of the water and let them cool without touching or
bumping them in a draft-free place (usually takes overnight) You can
then remove the rings if you like.
Other Equipment:
From left to right:
- Jar lifting tongs
to pick up hot jars - Lid lifter
- to remove lids from the pot
of boiling water (sterilizing ) - Lid
- disposable - you may only
use them once - Ring
- holds the lids on the jar until after
the jars cool - then you don't need them - Canning jar funnel
- to fill the jars
 |
Home Canning KitsThis is the same type of standard canner that my grandmother
used to make everything from applesauce to jams and jellies to tomato and
spaghetti sauce!. This complete kit includes everything you need and
lasts for years: the canner, jar rack, jar grabber tongs,
lid lifting wand, a plastic funnel,
labels, bubble freer, and the bible of canning, the Ball Blue Book. It's much cheaper than buying the items separately. You'll never need anything else except jars and lids (and the jars are reusable). To see more canners, of different styles, makes and prices, click here! |
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Lids, Rings, Jars, mixes, pectin, etc.Need lids, rings and replacement jars? Or pectin to make jam, spaghetti sauce or salsa mix or pickle mixes? Get them all here, and usually at lower prices than your local store! |
