Apple butter is one of my favorite edible gifts to make during the holiday season. It has a fresh apple flavor, with deep spicy undertones, and an ultra silky texture. It tastes delicious spread over biscuits, toast, or on a peanut butter sandwich.
You can make small batches of apple butter for personal enjoyment, or multiply your recipe for plenty of gifts to go around. Best of all, it’s a gift that can be canned for long-term storage, so the recipients don’t have to eat it right away!
Homemade apple butter requires a two-step cooking process. Don’t let that deter you from giving it a try. It’s extremely easy to make!
It’s important to cook the apples twice for two reasons: One, if you add the sugar to the apples when they are simmering to soften, the sugar may burn before the apples are soft enough to mash. Two, the sugar and spices can’t fully infiltrate the apples until they are mashed or pureed.
So first, cook the apples with apple cider vinegar and water. This allows them to soften into mush and the vinegar gives the apple butter a fresh tangy quality.
Once the apples are soft, use a food mill to grind the apples into a fine sauce. A food mill produces the absolute best texture: smooth with tiny bits of apple speckled throughout. Using a food mill also means there’s no need to peel the apples before cooking. The food mill will separate them out.
If you don’t have a food mill, you can still make apple butter by pureeing the cooked apples in a blender. Just be sure to peel the apples before cooking.
The second cooking time is when you add in the sugar, spices, and a little vanilla.
Cook the apple butter just long enough to melt the sugar, intensify the spices, and thicken the apple butter to your desired consistency.
If you like a perky apple butter, just 5–10 minutes will do. If you like your apple butter to have a dark rich flavor, cook it for 15–20 minutes.
See? You can totally do this.
Your homemade apple butter will save you money on gifts this season, and wow your friends and neighbors at the same time!
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