Need an idea for a gift? This apple butter is simple, yet so rich and delicious, and can be easily gifted in little mason jars. A natural treat…. made with a variety of apples (you can use whatever you have around- a mix is good), vanilla from real vanilla beans, warm spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves, a touch of fresh lemon juice, and organic sugars. It’s then slow-cooked for hours (12 of them to be exact, more if needed- that’s the beauty of this recipe- you can let it cook around your schedule, as you’ll see I did below). The result is a scrumptious, creamy, buttery apple butter that’s great on toast, scones, oatmeal, meat, or even just as-is (or if you’re a freak like me, you’ll eat it by the spoonful from the jar).
I’m a big fan of edible gifts. It’s fun to give gifts, it’s fun to cook things, and it’s extra fun to eat… three reasons why edible gifts are on my yay-list. With Christmas right around the corner, I racked my brain for all the different edible gifts I could make. I knew I wanted one gift people could drink and one they could eat. I also knew I wanted to make things in jars- I love mason jars. So after ample research and lots of thinking (and stomach rumbling) I settled on my edible gifts for this season: homemade limoncello (recipe on the blog) and apple butter. Of course from there it was hard to not want to make homemade scones to go with the apple butter and then maybe some cupcakes, and then some lemon bars and blah blah blah, but I contained myself and allowed apple butter and limoncello to be it (or else I’d still be in my kitchen making crazy messes and eating “leftovers” I not-so-accidentally made too much of). So here’s the apple butter recipe… it’s super simple, straight-forward, and mighty delicious. Despite having butter in the name, this creamy concoction has no such thing; it’s just apples, vanilla, lemon, spices, and some sugar 🙂
So what’s the difference between apple sauce and apple butter? Basically, apple butter is cooked down for hours and hours until it forms a rich, dark, creamy texture. It’s not saucy like apple sauce, butis thick and buttery.
This version is extra creamy and delicious. The texture, I have to say, is superior to any store-bought version I’ve had. It’s the slow-cooking magic- it makes it so smooth and creamy.
It’s all about the Crock Pot. It allows the apples to slow cook over a long period of time, creating the thick buttery texture and rick flavor. You could do this overnight if you wanted, or make it during the day, then let it sit overnight, and come back to it the next day… I had to take the latter route this time due to my schedule, but it worked just fine for me 🙂 Either way, your house will thank you, as will any people who live in it… it will smell amaaaaaazing after this!!
It’s easier than you might think to get from that (up there)
to this (down there), and well well worth the wait.
Check out the step by step below if you’re interested…
Apple Butter: A Quick Step-By-Step
{detailed instructions below}
This contraption HERE (an apple peeler/corer) is VERY helpful…
you can still do it without one- you’ll just peel and core the apples yourself,
but with one of these, it seriously takes less than ten minutes to do them all.
They’re easy to find at most kitchen-gadget stores,
and can often be found very cheap at stores like Ross and Marshall’s 🙂
Peel and core apples
Check out the awesome string of peel you’ll have
at the end- there has to be some cool craft to do with these things!
Slice apples, add to Crock Pot, and top with sugar and spices
Mix
Cook for a long long time and add an extra touch of deliciousness (specifics to follow)
And now you have homemade apple butter!
Makes enough to fill ten 8 oz jars
INGREDIENTS
6 1/2 lbs of apples (I used 5 lbs Granny Smith and 1 1/2 Honey Crisp)
1 cup sugar (use what you like- coconut, cane, etc)
1 cup light brown sugar
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp salt
2 vanilla beans (about 6-8 inches in length- if not available, use 1 1/2 tbsp vanilla extract)
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
*Things that will make this a lot easier: an APPLE PEELER/CORER and an IMMERSION BLENDER
(if you don’t have those, use a regular peeler and blender)
{here’s a more detailed step-by-step}
Then remove the cores…
You’ll have a bunch of crazy looking apples
(it’s okay if not every single piece of peel is gone- a teensy bit can remain)
Slice and chop apples
(If using an apple contraption/peeler/corer, then they will already be sliced,
so you’ll just chop in half- if not, just roughly chop)
*It’s normal for them to turn a little brown while sitting out
Place in Crock Pot
In a mixing bowl, add sugars, spices, and salt (but not vanilla or lemon)
Stir to mix
Pour sugar/spice mixture over apples
Use hands (or utensils) to evenly mix it all together
(As you can see, my pot was on overload,
so I did the best I could without
spilling anything- it’s not biggie if it’s not
all perfectly mixed- it will blend more as cooks)
Cover and set on low for 10 hours
About half way through, remove lid and stir
(I know, not the prettiest phase, but don’t worry- it’ll get good-lookin‘ soon!)
All the apples will melt into a saucy soup instantly upon stirring
At about 7 hours, add the vanilla from one bean
(if you’re cooking overnight, no worries- just do it all at the end)
To get vanilla from bean, cut the bean in half
(just the top side- not all the way through)
and then use the underside of your knife to scrape along the
pod to remove all of the pasty vanilla yumminess
Add to apple mixture and stir in
Then cover again and continue to let cook for rest of time
After 10 hours, your apple sauce will start to look thicker and
richer in color (I made mine during the day, so my ten hours ended
before I went to bed… so I let it sit as-is, covered, until I got up early in the morning.
If you make this during the night, then your ten hours will likely be
done right as you get up- great timing if you ask me!)
Now that it’s done doing it’s thing (round one anyway), add the second
batch of vanilla bean- same process, just scrape from the
bean and add the vanilla to the apple mixture
Now add fresh lemon juice to the mix
Using an immersion, blend the apple mixture until smooth-
even when you think it’s smooth, keep blending-
you want it nice and smooth
(If you don’t have an immersion blender,
transfer the mixture to a regular blender
and blend until smooth in small batches until it’s all done)
Look at that transformation! Yumm 🙂
You’ll notice at this point that the texture is getting creamy and buttery already…
Now return heat to low and cook, this time uncovered, for two more hours
(I had to go to work, so I set my timer for two hours and then it stayed on warm until I got home, so it stayed uncovered on warm for about 5 hours- no prob. That’s what’s nice about this… timing isn’t a huge deal- it’ll just do it’s thing 🙂
Now start getting your jars ready…
Boil and clean them and so forth
Then scoop the apple butter into the jars until all are evenly filled
Good luck not eating a few scoops before getting it into the fridge…
(I couldn’t resist! Look at the yumminess just calling for you to devour it!!)
You want to let them cool a little before putting the lids on, just so the steam doesn’t build up in there
Then place in the refrigerator until ready to use/gift
When you’re ready to give them to people, slap a sticker on the jar
(dry the little sticker surface first), tie some ribbon on it if you want, and give give give!
And don’t forget to keep one for you… trust me, you’ll want it 🙂
Arsy
This look so good! I want to make some. What do you normally eat it with?
Natalie
Hi Arsy! You should try!! It’s sooo easy and sooo delicious 🙂 I eat on on toast, muffins, oatmeal, and on crackers (as you might with goat cheese and fig jam, but use the apple instead!). I’ve also heard it’s awesome on pork chops and poultry 🙂
Liese Haley
I’ll have to try this with Honey or Coconut Sugar.
Natalie
Hi Liese!
I’m sure that would be yummy, too!! Let me know how it turns out if you try 🙂
Thanks for stopping by!
Natalie
Anonymous
I was wondering if you could give these a water bath to seal them?
Natalie
I don’t see why not! Just do so as would any jam or jelly 🙂
Beth S.
Yes, you can. I’ve done it before (not this recipe, but a similar one.)
Natalie
Thanks for the added comment, Beth! Great to hear others’ experiences on here, too! 🙂
Jennifer W.
How long does it keep for?
Natalie
Hi Jennifer! Mine kept for months actually… seems unusually long, but it did 🙂 If you want, you can do a “proper” canning process to make them keep longer… hope that helps!
Edckute
how do you prepare jars ??
Natalie
Hi Edckute,
I cleaned them and then placed them in boiling water… for more information and details on the process, this site has a decent explanation- http://southernfood.about.com/od/canning/qt/canning-jars.htm. Hope that helps! Thank you for popping by!!
Edckute
is it possible to make it sugar free???
Natalie
I do personally think it needs a sweetener of some sort, but you could use honey or another sweetener if you prefer. Without any sweetening though, I imagine it would be a wee bitter. Hope that helps!
Anonymous
Stevia
Natalie
Great suggestion!
Anonymous
Do you have to keep them in the fridge, or if you can them normally they can be stored in a cabinet until ready for use? Thank you Dorie
Natalie
Hi Dorie,
I kept mine in the fridge (the gifts and the ones I kept for myself) and they kept for months. I know with canning, they don’t need to be kept cool, but as these are not canned per say, I would recommend refrigerating them. Hope that helps! Thank you for popping by the blog!
LynnS
I just did this last night/today, and oh, my, golly! you wern’t kidding about just needing a spoon to eat this stuff. my husband flipped over it and a neighbor very familure with preserving foods says it’s the best apple butter she’s had. i am going to purchase more apples tomorrow to make several batches more. these will be wonderful gifts. thank you for this recipe!
Natalie
Hi Lynn,
Yay!! I love hearing success stories! I am soooo happy to hear you enjoyed this as much as I did. I can’t wait to make more myself! Thank you for your feedback… so glad to hear it went well for you (and for your husband). 🙂
Kim A
This sounds amazing, I may be trying this tomorrow! If I wanted to use honey instead , what would the substitution amount be? I am new to replacing sugar with honey. Thanks!
Natalie
Hi Kim,
Typically, the ratio is 1:2- use half the amount of honey as you would sugar. Hope that helps! Please let me know how it turns out!! 🙂
Kim A
Thank you Natalie! I ran out my batch of apple but will be picking a new bag of them later in this week. I will let you know how it goes! Thanks again 🙂
Manang
I would like to try this using maple syrup. I did a crockpot applesauce last week, which I canned, as my kids and I love snacking on them. However, that one does not have any vanilla.
Have you actually done this before so that you are sure they will last in the fridge until gift-giving time without molding? I think I’d rather process in water bath.
Natalie
Hi Manang,
Yes, I’ve done this… I made the recipe posted above! I made it right before Christmas, so the jars didn’t have to sit long before giving them away, but the ones I kept for myself lasted a few months in the fridge. A water bath would work, as well… use any method you like. 🙂
Anonymous
I can’t wait to do this! Do you think maple would be good to replace the sugar? Too liquidy?
Natalie
Hi there!
You can try it with maple syrup… I haven’t, but I do not see why it wouldn’t work as the butter is cooked down for so long. If you are going to, I would use a ratio of 1:2- use half the amount for maple syrup. Hope it turns out well for you! 🙂
Anonymous
How long dose it last in the fridge
Natalie
It should last at least a few months. 🙂
Anonymous
I would like the add a few sweet potatoes to mine, anyone see a reason that would not work? thank you, Ruthie Trobridge
Natalie
Hi Ruthie! I was waiting to see if anyone else had thoughts on that, as I have never tried personally, but I’ll give it my best answer! I think that the flavors would work, as sweet potatoes and apples do go well, but I imagine it would change the texture slightly. I don’t think it would necessarily be a negative change, but it would change. Please let me know if you try it! Thank you for popping by! 🙂
Anonymous
It’s delicious and so easy to make!
I used palm sugar, and agave nectar instead of light brown sugar; PERFECT!
Natalie
Oh great, so happy to hear that you liked it! 🙂
Tonya
How many of what size jar did this make?
Natalie
Hi Tonya,
This makes ten 8-ounce jars. 🙂
Hope you enjoy!!