When I tantalized and teased you with my homemade apple sauce, did apple butter even cross your mind for an instant? No? Well, I think apple butter is the fancy, rich sister of apple sauce. 😉
Today I am going to teach you how to make my very delicious apple butter which will be completely homemade and without any added preservatives! Woohoo! I know you can buy apple butter in the grocery store, BUT it is loaded with preservatives and that is why I like making my meals from scratch as much as possible. With a little bit and I mean LITTLE BIT of effort, you can have fresh apple butter.
By the way, you can double, triple or whatever you want to multiply the recipe to make as much apple butter as you want and need. I just like doing the small batch because with only one or two living in a household, it ensures that none of the apple butter will get old and moldy in the refrigerator. You know what I’m talking about – those horrible science projects in the refrigerator. Ewwww!
Homemade Apple Butter – Easy, Delicious, Small Batch
This recipe is SO EASY and I will take all the mystery out of how to make delicious homemade apple butter. The first thing you want to do is to prepare the apples, so wash, peel, core and dice the apples into tiny chunks. This will make the beginning of the recipe cook quickly.
Remember, we are basically making apple sauce first.
Pour the water into a large flat pan like a frying pan. Add the apples, lemon peel, orange peel and salt.
Cover and simmer on medium-low heat for 35 minutes or until apples are completely soft and liquid has mostly cooked off.
Remove the lemon and orange peels. Spoon the apples into a blender.
Turn on the high setting until liquified (approximately 1 minute).
Pour into a crockpot set on low. Add cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, allspice, vanilla extract and additional water.
Cook for 23 hours, stirring occasionally. Remove the lid the last 1-2 hours until the apple butter is a thick consistency.
Yes! You read that correctly. You are going to cook the apple mixture for 23 hours on low. It truly takes that long for all the spices to reach perfection.
The apple butter does turn out totally perfect.
Mmmmmmm…
Deliciously rich and packed full of flavor, the apple butter will delight you if eaten alone.
You could, of course, slather it over hot, buttered biscuits too.
Each bite is an explosion of warm, rich flavor.
The apple butter tastes so delicious and it feels…peaceful and comforting. It also makes me remember Graves’ Mountain Apple Festival with Alyssa.
Oh! It is also has just the right amount of sweetness.
After you make your own apple butter, not only will you always prefer it over what you buy at the store, but you won’t ever waste a drop.
Since I was all alone, I actually licked the plate clean. Country girls are allowed to do that sort of thing. It’s actually sexy. LOL I know my mother is going to say otherwise, but believe me! Lick that plate and see how sexy you look and feel. 😉
I love cooking and eating. I guess it is rather obvious.
Homemade Apple Butter – Easy, Delicious, Small Batch
Ingredients:
8 apples, washed, peeled, cored and diced (I used 4 Gala and 4 Jonagold)
2 short strips of lemon peel
4 long strips orange peel (about 1/6 of an orange)
Less than 1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup water initially
1/4 cup brown sugar, not packed
1/4 cup white sugar
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon clove
1/4 tsp allspice
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup water
Directions:
Half of my apples were of a sweet variety and the other half were a little tart. Wash, peel, core and dice the apples into tiny chunks. This will make it cook quickly.
Pour the water into a large flat pan like a frying pan. Add the apples, lemon peel, orange peel and salt.
Cover and simmer on medium-low heat for 35 minutes or until apples are completely soft and liquid has mostly cooked off.
Remove the lemon and orange peels.
Spoon the apples into a blender. Turn on the high setting until liquified (approximately 1 minute).
Pour what can now be called “apple sauce” into a crockpot set on low. Add brown sugar, white sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, allspice, vanilla extract and additional water. Cook for 23 hours, stirring occasionally. Remove lid the last 1-2 hours until the apple butter is a thick consistency.
Yeild: Approximately 16 ounces of apple butter which is a “small batch”
Ahhhhh, come Christmas that would be a nice gift and a lemon cake! You do not even have to buy the jars because I have tons of them. My rolls will be ready! Beautiful!!!!!!!!!!
I think I got the hint! LOL I think if I cook you everything you want for Christmas, you are going to gain 100 pounds. LOL Bring me the jars and I will make you some this weekend. 🙂
I love apple butter – and your recipe looks so easy, & the photos look so scrumptious, that my mouth is drooling. Of course, I’m not a country girl, but I also love licking the plate, & agree that it’s sexy… as is slathering the scrumptious apple butter on all kinds of tasty things!!! ;D yummmmmmmmmm…
If you were a country girl, I would like to know how you grew so much facial hair! LOL
Thanks Skip! I hope you have a great day. By the way, did you wipe the drool off the pictures before you left? 😛
Warning: British irony coming up…
Really! This looks the worst possible thing in the culinary spectrum. Oh, how I am repulsed by the very idea; apple butter looks revolting. I would be ill at the very thought of it!
Nah! Not really, I could print off and paste the resulting pictures to my walls right now. This looks evil! Wicked and delicious all at once. In the UK, we can’t get apple butter in the grocery stores. No, not one bit of it. Unless, I guess, we went to Fortnum & Mason but we are not within reach of that. I gather I’ll just have to try your recipe, then, with all the apples we have here. Wish me luck with the 23 hour stage. I take it that we can actually sleep during that period?
Fabulous post!
LOL Heather!
You can’t get apple butter? Oh my! Now THAT is evil!
No, you can’t sleep during the 23 hour period. Just kidding. 😉 Just time it so that the last 2 hours you are awake and able to stir it every 20 minutes or so. I’m sure if you follow the directions, it will turn out PERFECTLY!
OMG that sounds/look delicious!! I have two apple trees I planted 2 years ago because I really want to be able to make all this kind of stuff!! Hopefully one of these years I’ll actually start getting apples 🙂 Thanks for sharing!!
You’re very welcome! When the apples start growing, I’ll come help you pick them. 😉
Well smack my tastebuds, that is yummy! I used to make apple butter years ago. Maybe I should make some soon, I know our grandchildren love it. Thank you for sharing at the Thursday Favorite Things Blog Hop. xo
LOL I like that…”smack my tastebuds”
I love adding my blog to your linky! Thanks!
Wow! Your recipe for apple butter looks delicious, and I love the photos. Will definitely have to make this! I’m inspired to try all kinds of different butter making after having made my own butter using a mason jar. Who knew it could be so easy!
I’ve made butter in a jar too, LaLa. It is very fun.
I’m glad you like the photos!
your recipe is very easy and has become a wonderful hobby of mine and my soul friend george. we are up to canning 70 jars of the stuff to give away to friends and no, it is not evil, it is simply devine! thankyou for the help. love always
Thank you so much, Michelle! I’m so glad you all are enjoying it! Of course, I love it and now that I’ve had to eliminate grain from my diet, I’m so thankful that I know how to cook from scratch. {{{hugsss}}}
Yummy! Love it! Thanks for sharing this at my Pin Me Linky Party.
My pleasure! Thanks for stopping by my blog!
My granny used to make apple butter, the best I’ve ever tasted. I sure do miss it. The kind at the store is okay, I guess, but nothing at all like Granny’s homemade apple butter. I hope to give your recipe a try soon!
Katherine’s comment “smack my tastebuds” made me laugh, too! I had a neighbor when I was little that was always making statements like that. One that I remember the most was “well, I’ll be jumped up!” 🙂
Have a great day, Red!
Thank you Suzanne! This recipe is super delicious and very easy. I look forward to hearing how much you like it! 😀
Enjoy your day!
Bonus two recipes in one: applesauce and apple butter! I cannot wait to eat this yummy stuff, which is simmering in the crockpot as I type. I have tasted it and it is perfection; I just need to be patient and let it thicken up. However, I do have the same patience level as my 4 year old son, so we may not make it through the full cook time. I did make a couple modifications; cut the cinnamon by half and added a tbsp of ACV. Thanks for the recipe…soon to be a family favorite.
I’m so glad you like it and I appreciate you leaving a comment! 🙂 It is our favorite too!