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Well when fall came around the second season of my cottage bakery, the shops nearby transformed their menus as it was now pumpkin spice latte season. Wanting to stand out, I decided to offer a menu focusing on my favorite flavor, Apples. We did not want apple sauce and to keep it inspired with the holidays, we specifically used Apple Butter. After all, what’s not to love? You have many of the warming spices that you think about during the holidays, but you also have the beautiful brightness and sweetness of apples.
Before I started homesteading seriously, I operated a home/cottage bakery. I probably watched too much Food Network, because I had the insane idea that I could make anything they could make. I focused on making the most delicious cakes, but some of the prettiest ones had macarons as a decoration. For those of you who have never heard of or seen a macaron, it’s a meringue sandwich cookie that is both crisp and chewy. If you don’t mind sugar, but do care about gluten, this is a dessert for you.
Why do I have such a fondness for apples? It all started when I was a kid and of course I loved apple juice, but it was not the holidays until my dad bought me a bottle of sparkling apple cider. He wanted me to have a special experience and always poured it in a fancy drinking glass. It was one of my fondest memories of the holidays. Apple butter is reminiscent of that apple cider by having the spices coming through plus the distinct apple taste.
We have all had apple sauce I’m sure, but with such a watery and mild taste, it was not the punchy flavor I desired. Certainly not suitable for a macron. I wanted something that reminded me of fall with cinnamon and the other warming spices, that was thick enough for a dessert without making the delicate cookie dissolve. Having turned to the internet, I found apple butter.
Trying to not make more work for myself, I turned to the grocery store. After tasting store bought, it still was not the flavor-bomb I wanted, granted texture was still a little bit better, but not by much. Plus considering all of the additional ingredients like corn syrup and preservatives, I wanted something a little more wholesome. The next step was creating a recipe.
While I found a few recipes online, all of them were lacking that special something. I wanted a recipe that was easy to make, did not take a lot of hands on time, and used the ingredients I had on hand. Considering I do not use the warming spices as often throughout the year, I knew I had plenty of cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice hanging around.
It was also very important to me that the apple butter recipe had a certain brightness, that “apple taste”, but also could be canned. I wanted the time I did spend on the apple butter to last me a while and I knew that canning it would be a great way to preserve my effort.
Equipment
There are some pieces of equipment that we will mention in this post. I have included some affiliate links of brands and items that I absolutely love. If you are interested in purchasing them it is a win win for us both.
Instant Pot ($130): It’s a great multitasker for pressure cooking food or being used as a slow cooker. I use it for soaking beans, pressure cooking meat if I forget to slow cook it, and so much more. I use it as a slow cooker in this recipe and then as a sauté feature to help reduce the apple puree once it has softened. That means less dishes for me!
Immersion Blender ($25): This is a bit of a uni-tasker, but I love it when I don’t want to break out my Vitamix. Especially when I am blending something in the pot whether that be the softened apples to make a puree, blending tomatoes into salsa, or opening a jar of canned potato and leek soup and blending it for a quick meal.
Water Bath Canner ($100): This is a starter kit for canners. If you have a large enough pot and something to keep the jars off the bottom of the pot (like extra jar rings), you can save yourself the money and use that, but if you are looking to do more canning, having this whole setup can be helpful. If you have a pressure canner, use that pot instead and just consider a canning kit if you don’t already have one!
Getting Started
The first thing that you will need to do is pick out your apples. Thankfully apples are on sale quite often (see my budget guide on homesteading if you haven’t already), so I purchased a few pounds (6 to be exact) of my favorite apples. I only care for tart (think Granny Smith) apples for my apple cake and for dipping in delicious melted cheese, and given this is a sweet dish, I wanted something higher in sugar.
My favorite apples to use are Gala, HoneyCrisp, Fuji, and if I’m feeling daring, I’ll also use Pink Lady or McIntosh if they are on sale. Texture is not as important here as the final product will be blended and cooked down.
I like to use a blend because they all offer something different to the flavor party. If you grow your own apples, or if you enjoy different varieties, feel free to use those!
Part of the reason why I like this recipe is that it is a no-peel recipe to save time. If you don’t grow your own apples, you are concerned about pesticides, or are worried about EZ Peel, you can of course peel them.
Once you have your apples, you will need to chop them up. I don’t want to spend a lot of time with an apple corer, so I place the apples on my cutting board and cut it around each side. This creates almost a square shape where the core is. Then I slice it in half and then 2-3 cuts that will make about 1-2″ chunks of apple. You can either eat the extra meat of the apple on the core as a snack while you are cooking, or use the scraps for your own Apple Cider Vinegar. Once they are chopped up, add them to your Instant Pot.
Adding Spices
Since it is the holidays, we want some of those signature warming spices. Cinnamon, cloves, allspice, and a secret ingredient, nutmeg, are all of the spices that will make your apple butter special. Add all of those spices, plus the salt and vanilla to your Instant Pot and mix the spices around.
I know there is a good bit of sugar in this recipe, but it helps with two things. Flavor. I love using dark brown sugar for the extra molasses flavor. You can use light brown sugar if you don’t have any dark brown sugar available. The other component that sugar offers is the jammy texture. We are looking for something that is thick (low water activity and the pH is low enough to be canned. The white granulated sugar helps create the texture and of course provides some additional sweetness that the apples might be lacking. Add all sugar to the Instant Pot
Cooking the Apples
Depending on what you have going on that day, you have two options to cook your apple butter. If you want to be more hands off, great! Use your Instant Pot/Slow Cooker to cook your apples overnight (or 8 hours). The sugar will pull out the apples and it will create some extra moisture.
If you want to get everything done today, use your Instant Pot as a pressure cooker. I find the 90 minutes to give the best flavor. If you have a sensitive Instant Pot that is prone to give you the burn notice, you may add 1 cup of water to your Instant Pot to ensure that the notice doesn’t come on while cooking. Make sure your vent is set to seal and let it cook. Then let it release the pressure naturally.
Blending and Cooking
After your apples are done with their initial cook, now you can add your lemon zest and lemon juice. I did not see this in many recipes when I was first looking for an apple butter recipe, but it is so necessary. I found when I don’t add the lemon, it doesn’t have as much depth. I wouldn’t have been able to tell you there are any apples in it at all! If you don’t have a zester that’s fine, but you absolutely do want to have the juice!
Once that is added, either use a blender or immersion blender (which I recommend) to ensure everything is smooth. Blend this as much as you can. If you left your apple peel, it will take a bit longer to ensure it is all smooth. At this point you can taste it. It should taste like pretty amazing apple sauce.
But! That apple sauce is not what we are looking for. We want apple butter. We will want to cook down that apple sauce even further to get that dark and jammy consistency. If you are using your Instant Pot, use the Saute feature and set the timer for 5 minutes. The timer is to ensure it does not burn and will be your reminder to stir.
This is a great point to begin the canning process and to begin sanitizing your jars. We use half pint jars here because once the jar is opened, its quality will decline after a few weeks. Unless you know that you will use a pint size jar quickly, a half pint will ensure that your recipe is always fresh.
As it thickens, it will start to bubble. To save your ceiling and kitchen a mess, use a lid that is askew and/or a fine mesh splatter screen (what you use to keep grease from popping up when you are frying) to keep the bubbles down. Once it starts bubbling and hitting the lid or the screen, you will want to stir more frequently. I still use the saute and set to every 5 minutes, but it is to allow it to cool down to ensure it does not burn. I scrape down the screen and lid to get all of the apple butter back in the pot because we do not want to waste any!
You will want to use the saute feature and stir for at least 15 minutes, but ideally about 25 minutes. This does take some time, but it will be rewarded with a thick delicious jam. I stop and taste after each 5 minutes to test for both flavor and thickness. Depending on the flavor, I might add more cinnamon, lemon, or nutmeg. I do look for a consistency where it will cling to the spatula. Once it no longer falls off, it is done and ready to be canned.
Canning Apple Butter
This process is probably the simplest and if you already have your jars sanitized, then you are able to start filling the jars. Fill your hot jars with the hot apple butter and be sure you leave at least 1/4 inch headspace from the top of the jar. Use a chopstick, spoon, knife, or other canning tool to remove any air bubbles. Wipe each jar down with vinegar and put on the lids and tighten the rings to just finger tip tight.
Place your jars inside of your canner, or large pot, and ensure that they are all covered in water with at least a full inch of water above the jars. I also add a splash of vinegar to the pot since it can help reduce hard water buildup on the jars.
Water bath the jars by bringing the water up to a boil (I use a thermometer with an alert at 212 degrees) and leave them in for 10 minutes. After the 10 minutes, turn off the heat and let sit for 5 minutes. Then use your jar lifter to carefully take the jars out of the canner and place on the counter to rest for 12-24 hours. Once they are cooled, take off the rings and test the seal by carefully picking up the jar from the lid. If it does not come off, it is sealed and ready to be stored in a cool dark environment for at least a year.
Why I Love This Recipe:
I love this recipe because it tastes better, I know exactly what is in it, it’s much cheaper than anything you could get from the store, and also because it is super easy to make! I love my Instant Pot for efficiency, I do not have to wash more than one dish, and because I don’t have to peel the apples which will give more nutrients in the final product.
The apple butter after it has been pressure cooked (or slow cooked if you don’t have an Instant Pot), blended, and then cooked down, is jammy, thick, sweet, and apple spice forward. If you decide to can this, it is super easy and can be water bathed due to both the acidity and the high sugar content!
How I Use This Recipe
Oh how I love thee, let me count the ways. When I initially made this, I only used it for filling my macarons, but when I started homesteading more and canning, I wanted to can this because of how delicious it was. Aside from giving it as a gift for the holidays last year, I love to use it as a topping for pancakes, on a piece of toast, the jam for a shortbread cookie (thumbprint cookie), on a spoon, the J in PB&J sandwiches, or as a flavoring in mocktails.
But, my absolute favorite way is as a base for easy BBQ sauce. It is so delicious and works great when you have smoked or grilled pork or chicken. Canning this delicious jam now will make your summer BBQ months so much easier! To make an easy bbq sauce you can add equal parts apple butter to ketchup, add some salt, pepper, cayenne, and Worcestershire sauce to create the easiest bbq sauce.
With so many great uses, I made about 24 half pint jars last year, and I’m down to my last few jars after giving them as gifts and using them throughout the year. You do not have to can it, and it can keep in the fridge for a few weeks or you can also freeze it for a few months. If you do decide to can it, it can last easily 12 months (or more) on your shelf.
I love using this in half pint jars because they can be great gifts and once the jar has been opened it can be good for about 2 weeks in the fridge. That way I can use the apple butter often but it still tastes as delicious as the day I made it!
We use about 2 tbsp per serving which means a jar will last us for several weeks before we need to open another one. This can be a great recipe to make in the holidays when the spices and apples are on sale. This makes apple butter a great sauce to make on that lasts through the whole year.
The Best Homemade Apple Butter Recipe for the Holidays
Equipment
- Instant Pot Or Slow Cooker
- Spatula
- Blender/Immersion Blender
- Large Pot
- 6 Half Pint Jars with Rings and Lids or 3 pints
- Chopstick or tool to release air bubbles
Ingredients
- 6 pounds (mix of your favorite apple varieties HoneyCrisp, Fuji, and Gala
- 1 cup dark brown sugar firmly packed
- 3/4 cup granulated white sugar
- 1/4 tsp of salt
- 1 tbsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp of ground cloves
- 1/4 tsp of allspice
- 1/8 tsp of ground nutmeg fresh is best!
- 1 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract
- 1 lemon zested and juiced
Instructions
- Prep
- Quarter and roughly chop your apples (peel if you feel like it is necessary) and place in the bowl of your Instant Pot or Slow Cooker.
- Add brown sugar, granulated sugar, salt, cloves, all spice, nutmeg, and vanilla to the apples and mix to ensure everything is combined and coated. Add a half cup of water if pressure cooking
- The apples will quickly fill up your Instant Pot and it will be very full to add your spices. It’ll cook down and reduce volume as it cooks.
Cooking the Apple Butter
- To Pressure Cook: Turn Instant Pot to “Manual” and pressure cook on high pressure for 90 minutes. Allow to natural release for 10 minutes before releasing any remaining pressure. To Slow Cook: Let cook over night or at least 10 hours.
- Once your apples have softened, we will want to blend them. I highly recommend an immersion blender, but you can also work in batches with a blender to break the chunks down. Blend them down until they are very smooth.
- Add zest of 1 lemon and the juice to the apple butter mixture.
- At this point, you have pretty delicious apple sauce, but we want apple butter so we will begin cooking it down to get the jammy consistency. If you are using the Instant Pot, use the sauce feature on high to begin cooking down the mixture, or transfer to a large pot on medium heat.
Reducing the Apple Butter
- Cook stirring occasionally until steam comes from the pot. This is a great point to get your jars ready/sterilized if you are canning them! This will can about 6-7 half pints.
- Once it begins to bubble, lower the heat, and place a screen (like you might use for frying) and/or place the lid askew from the pot. This is very helpful when you don’t want apple butter on your ceiling. Ask me how I know!
- Let the apple butter cook and stir every 5 minutes very carefully (it bubbles and pops and can sting if it lands on you). Repeat until desired thickness and flavor, but I prefer to cook it for at least 30 minutes repeating this step until is very dark brown and sticks to the spatula without falling off.
For Canning
- Fill sterilized jars with apple butter leaving at least 1/4” inch headspace from the top
- Use a chopstick or other tool to ensure there are no bubbles in the apple butter
- Wipe rim down with water or vinegar and then place lids and rings and screwing lids on until they are fingertip tight.
- Place in hot/boiling water and water bath them for 10 minutes (15 minutes if you decided to use pint jars)
- Remove from canner and place on counter to be left undisturbed for 24 hours.
- Remove rings and store in a cool dark place for up to 12 months
This is definitely one of our most used canning recipes because of how versatile it is. We do us it the most for BBQ for our The Best Homemade Apple Butter BBQ Sauce with Just 10 Ingredients, but my grandparents love using it as part of their breakfast instead of Nutella or in addition to peanut butter and toast. It brings the holidays to your plate and is a nice departure from the pumpkin spice latte flavor. If you grow your own apples, this is a great use of extra apples you might have around.
Have you ever made Apple Butter before? Do you like these flavors more than the traditional “Pumpkin Spice Latte” flavors? Do you think you will try this recipe out? Leave your comments below!