Apple butter is one of my favorite things to cook during the fall season. Nothing says It’s Fall better than the scent of simmering apples, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves filling the house.
Apple butter is a delicious spread for just about anything – especially warm biscuits and toast. Give this easy recipe a try. You’ll slowly cook apples on the stovetop with sugar and spices for a true, old-fashioned apple butter.
I used a combination of mostly Granny Smith apples with a couple of Fuji apples I needed to use up. Tart apples like Granny Smith work really well. I prefer to sweeten the apple butter with brown sugar instead of white sugar. But, either type of sugar will work.
You can easily cut the recipe in half to make a smaller batch. By the way, there’s no need to peel the apples before you cook them. Simply wash, core and chop them up.
- 5 lbs Apples *tart apples work best
- 2 cups Apple Cider *or Apple Juice
- 2 Tablespoons Lemon Juice
- 1 Tablespoon Cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon Nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon Ground Ginger
- 1-2 cups Brown Sugar
- Wash, core and chop apples into about 1 inch pieces.
- In a medium pot, combine apples and apple cider. Bring to a boil over medium heat.
- Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until the apples are tender.
- Remove from heat and put apples through the food processor or blender to puree.
- Use a measuring cup to add the apple puree back to the pot, adding 1/2 cup packed brown sugar for every 1 cup of apple puree.
- Mix in the lemon juice. Simmer the apple puree over low heat, stirring frequently for 30 to 45 minutes, or until thickened. *Stir in the spices during the last 10-15 minutes of cooking time.
- Optional: Test for doneness by putting a tablespoon of the apple butter onto a cool plate. If the apple butter holds together as it cools, it is ready.
Once the apple butter is done, pour it from the pot into 8 ounce canning jars. It’s ready to eat. Keep jars stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 months (possibly even longer – but we usually eat ours before that time comes.)
If you are preserving your apple butter for longer term food storage, process the filled jars in a water bath canner according to the manufacturer’s directions. It will have a much longer shelf life if you can it this way. The Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving is a great book with detailed directions and recipes for canning just about anything you can think of (perfect for beginners and experts.)
By the way, a jar of homemade apple butter is a wonderful hostess gift idea. Have you ever made apple butter? If you have any questions about this recipe, let me know in the comments below. If you make the recipe, I hope you will come back and let me know how it turned out for you.
Jamie says
Yum, this sounds amazing! I have a friend at church that makes this every year. I never knew it was something easy that I could make – thanks for the great recipe! 🙂 #HomeMattersParty
Nicole says
Hi Jamie, Yes, apple butter really is so simple to make. I have been buying it in teeny tiny jars at the store for years. It is a lot cheaper to make your own apple butter at home (and tastes better, too!) Hope you enjoy! Thanks for stopping by, Nicole
sahana says
This sounds so delicious. You are making me wanna try this with your tempting photos 😉
michelle james says
Yay! So happy you shared this! I’ve been wanting to try apple butter! This looks like a good recipe! #HomeMattersParty
Nicole says
Thank you, Michelle. Apple butter was on my “I want to try making this one day” list FOREVER! I finally did it and it is one of those incredibly easy things to make. Hope you get the chance to give it a try, too. Thanks for stopping by! –Nicole
Pam says
Looks delicious! I have always meant to make this with all of those apples from apple picking time, but never have.
Nicole says
Thanks, Pam. This would be perfect for your apple picks, especially if you have a water bath canner (or other method) for long-term preservation. That way, you can enjoy those apples til next season’s harvest. 🙂 Thank you for your comments! –Nicole
Crystal says
Yum! I really love apple butter. Pinning for later, I had no idea I could make it myself 🙂 #HomeMattersParty
Lorelai @ Life With Lorelai says
Oh, apple butter reminds me of my mother. She loved it. I am going to have to try making this recipe. Thanks for sharing and co-hosting at the #HomeMattersParty 🙂
~Lorelai
Life With Lorelai