I really like this recipe in part because your additional ingredients are based on the amount of sauce made after your apples have been cooked and strained. While these directions offer the convenience of a crock pot, you can easily modify it for the stovetop as well, and the flavor yields an old-fashioned taste.
Old Fashioned Apple Butter
- Directions:
- In this recipe, the peelings are left on the apples because they naturally contain pectin which helps to thicken the sauce. Because we are leaving the peelings on the apples for this first step, washing with a mixture of vinegar and water will help to remove dirt and any sprays that may have been used on the apples. Mix 1/2 cup of vinegar into the water and allow apples to soak for about 20 minutes before rinsing them off.
- Cut apples by coring and quartering. (You can see in the picture I cut mine into smaller pieces to speed up the cooking process)
- Stir in Cider. (I actually used hard cider but you can use any type of cider or apple juice.) Cover and cook on high for 2-4 hours or on low for 10-18 hours if you are using a crock pot. Adjust times for the stovetop if you are not using a crockpot. I have done it both ways.
- Process cooked apples in a sieve/food mill to remove skins and puree.
- Measure and pour applesauce back into the crock pot. For every pint of fruit, add one cup of sugar (I use brown sugar), one teaspoon of cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon of allspice, 1/2 teaspoon of ground cloves, and 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg.
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- Cover and cook for six to eight hours, stirring frequently to keep the sauce from sticking to the crock pot or pan.
- Remove the lid halfway through the process to allow steam to escape and the sauce to thicken.
- Apple butter can then be canned or frozen. For the hot water bath method of canning for altitudes up to 1000 feet, process 5 minutes for half-pints or pint jars and 10 minutes for quart jars. For altitudes from 1000-6000 feet, process for 10 minutes for half-pints and pints and 15 minutes for quarts.
