Apple Butter ??

[Deleted User]

My DD gave me a jar that was given to her as she doesn't like apples.Its gorgeous, and I had it spread on toast this morning .Anyone else tasted it.The lady who made it flavoured it with cinnamon, and I was wondering if I could put it in a Victoria sponge cake with fresh cream or do you think it would curdle the cream. It's so nice that I don't want to waste any of it.I googled it and most of the sites say it is made with vinegar,but as I can't even stand the smell of the stuff I don't think she made it that way.I must try to get the recipe from her as it would be a great way to use up windfalls

moanymoany

Okay, I know that the American gallon is not the same as ours but you can google that. It does not contain any vinegar. Applesauce is probably stewed apple. Apple pie spice is probably clovey.

Yes, yes, I know it's vague!

• 1 gallon applesauce
• 3 cinnamon sticks, left whole
• 1 lemon, juice of (only)
• 4 cups sugar
• 1 tablespoon apple pie spice

Directions

1.

Stir everything together in your crock pot and turn to high for one hour to get it started.
2.

Turn to low and let cook for 24 to 36 hours, stiring down a few times a day. You may need to take the lid off for several hours to let the water evaporate. I usually have to let it go six hours withouth the lid but my crock pots were invented when dinosaurs roamed the earth.
3. Jar it up and either process it or store in the refrigerator.




Here is the recipe from the wonderful 'More with Less' Mennonite cookbook.

5 quarts (again American quarts) unsweetened applesauce (stewed apples)
10 cups sugar
1 cup vinegar (there it is)
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon cloves (probably ground)

Bake the lot in the oven at 350F - about 160C - stir every 20 minutes - pour into jars and seal.

Or put in a slow cooker for .... as before.


I am inclined to make this as it sounds really nice.

phizzimum

brilliant! We've an apple tree in our garden and I've no more room in my freezer for stewed apples but can't bear to waste any.

Lil2002

I LOVE apple butter! Oh, you just made me think about it, and now I want some!
I've seen the apple butter recipe for the slow cooker before, and they did mention it can get very messy with the slow cooker lid off. They recommended putting some tea towels down to catch the splatters.

Another good one is pumpkin butter. Drooling here.:rotfl:

floyd

There is one here that doesn't contain vinegar, every recipe I have used from this site has worked beautifully http://www.allotment.org.uk/recipe/172/spiced-apple-butter-recipe/

celyn90

Ooh that sounds great How long does it keep? I have a huge bag of windfalls in the kitchen and no freezer

floyd

I would imagine it would keep for upwards of a year because its potted the same way as jam and boiled to kill nasties

gooismeid

Holland & Barrett sell it in plastic tubs if you haven't got enough apples to make your own and it's sugar-free. If you make it with fruit sugar, it's a godsend for diabetic recipes (or just generally cutting down on sugar, as fruit sugar is far sweeter than normal sugar so you use less). It keeps almost forever in the fridge. I use the sugar-free version instead of treacle or dark brown sugar in cake recipes, weight for weight (hubby and several family members are diabetics so we've learned several tricks over the years!). Especially good in carrot cake - makes it taste a bit like Tarte Tatin.

ness_w

Is apple butter like jam or like lemon curd (forgive my ignorance), we have a huge cooking apple tree, do you think they would be okay for this? I think I'll give this a go if I can scrape together some jars.

floyd

Its like a very thick caramelised jam, and is dark brown in appearance. Type it in google images and you will get lots of pics. Its basically apple sauce cooked for a very long time so I think cooking apples would be great for this.

CarolineW

Funnily enough, I just came across your post the day before I'll be making a big batch of apple butter. I'll be using this slow cooker recipe if this helps at all

http://www.recipezaar.com/93886

• 5 1/2 lbs apples, peeled and finely chopped (I use 3-4 different types of apples)
• 4 cups sugar
• 2-3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

1. Place apples in a large bowl.
2. Combine sugar, cinnamon, cloves and salt.
3. Pour over apples and mix well.
4. Place in crock pot, cover and cook on high for 1 hour.
5. Decrease heat to low; cover and cook on low for 9-11 hours or until thickened and dark brown.
6. Stir occasionally.
7. Uncover and cook on low for 1 hour longer.
8. If desired, whisk until smooth.Spoon into freezer containers, leaving 1/2-inch head space
9. Cover and freeze.

There are loads of different apple butter recipes on Recipezaar if you want to take a browse. I didn't notice any with vinegar when I was originally browsing for a recipe, though - I've never heard of that before.