Description
This homemade apple butter is a sweet and spiced spread perfect for toast or desserts.
Ingredients
Scale
- 4 lbs (1.8 kg) apples (about 10 small–medium apples), cored and chopped
- ½ cup (118 ml) apple juice or water
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1 cup (200 g) light brown sugar, gently packed
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
- ¼ tsp salt
Instructions
- Place chopped apples into a large stock pot. Peeling is optional.
- Add apple juice (or water), lemon juice, brown sugar, cinnamon, cloves, and salt. Stir well.
- Cover and cook over medium-low heat at a gentle simmer, stirring occasionally, until apples are very soft (about 1–2 hours).
- Purée the apples using an immersion blender, or blend in batches and return to the pot.
- Continue cooking uncovered for 30–60 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thick and deep brown.
- Test by spooning a small amount onto a plate; if no liquid separates after cooling, it’s ready.
- Spoon into jars and cool completely before storing.
Notes
- Yield: about 5½ cups
- Adjust sugar based on the natural sweetness of your apples.
- Store in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.
- To freeze: store in freezer-safe containers for up to 1 year.
- For long-term storage, process filled jars in boiling water for 10 minutes and cool completely before storing.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 2 hours
- Category: Spread
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Tbsp
- Calories: 35
- Sugar: 7 g
- Sodium: 0 mg
- Fat: 0 g
- Saturated Fat: 0 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 9 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 0 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
Keywords: apple butter, homemade, spread, recipe