I recently found an amazing price on apples, so, of course, I canned Apple Butter and Applesauce. Here’s my favorite Apple Butter recipe and the directions for canning applesauce.
Apple Butter
Ingredients
4 ½ pounds tart cooking apples* (about 14 medium apples)
4 cups apple cider or apple juice
2 cups sugar
1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground allspice
¼ ground cloves
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
Directions:
Wash, core, and quarter apples.
Combine apples and cider or juice in a large Dutch oven. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes or until apples are very tender. Stir occasionally to avoid scorching.
Press apples and liquid through a food mill.** Return mixture to Dutch oven. Stir in sugar and spices. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Cook, uncovered, over very low heat, about 1 ½ hours or until thick, stirring often to prevent sticking.***
Ladle apple butter into hot, sterilized pint or half-pint jars, leaving ¼-inch headspace. Wipe jar rims and adjust lids. Process in a boiling-water bath canner for 10 minutes for pints or 5 minutes for half-pints. Remove jars from canner; cool on racks. Makes 4 pints or 8 half-pints.Notes:
*The classic Granny Smith apple is a great choice for Apple Butter. I happened to be able to get some McIntosh apples, too, so I made this batch from a mix of the two. I should also note that I used apple juice instead of cider because I found a “buy one get one free” sale.
**If you don’t have a food mill, you can press the apples through a sieve or colander using the back of a large serving spoon or ladle. By the way, after helping me do this with a batch of apples, my hubby bought me a food mill.
***This recipe can also be cooked in a crock-pot. If you don’t want to tie up your stove top for a couple of hours, place the spiced mixture into the crock-pot and cook uncovered, on high, for two hours. It takes a little longer, but frees up the stove top.
I love Apple Butter on toast, on oatmeal, and, don’t laugh, swirled into cottage cheese. However, if you do make this, Beware! As the scent of apples and spices simmering together begins to waft through the air, you just might be tempted to play Christmas music way too soon.
After being so pleasantly surprised at how easy it is to make Apple Butter, I decided to try my hand at canning applesauce. Wow! That’s even easier than Apple Butter!
Applesauce
Ingredients
12 pounds tart cooking apples
Fruit Fresh™ (optional)
½ - 3 cups sugar
Directions:
Wash, peel, core, and slice apples.
Optional step: Make a solution of 3 tablespoons Fruit Fresh ™ and 2 quarts water. Soak apples in solution for about ten minutes to prevent browning. Drain completely.
Place apples in large Dutch oven with ½ cup water. Cook on medium high heat, stirring occasionally to prevent burning, until apples are tender. Depending on the variety of apple this should take 5-20 minutes.
Press apples through food mill or sieve for smooth applesauce or simply mash with a potato masher for a chunkier sauce.
Add sugar, if needed, stirring to dissolve completely. The amount of sugar will depend on the tartness of the apples and personal preference.
Reheat to boiling.
Fill hot, sterilized jars with hot sauce, leaving ½ inch headspace. Wipe jar rims and adjust lids. Process in a boiling-water bath canner for 15 minutes for pints or 20 minutes for quarts. Remove jars from canner; cool on racks.
As always, when canning, be sure you are familiar with all basic canning procedures to ensure safe canning practices. Cool jars completely and check seals before storing.
My favorite canning resources for both the beginner and the experienced canner are:
Complete Guide to Home Canning and Preserving, by US Department of Agriculture
Complete Book of Home Preserving, by Ball
Canning & Preserving, by Better Homes and Gardens
Pick Your Own Farms website
If you check out these resources, you’ll notice my recipes are a little different than the ones in the books. I like changing things a bit. However, the canning directions provided here are safe and accurate.
Now, just because I can’t help myself, I’ve added one more Apple-y recipe.
Mulled Apple Cider
Ingredients
1 orange
1 lemon
1 gallon Apple Cider
5-6 whole cloves
5-6 whole allspice
2-4 cinnamon sticks
¼ cup packed brown sugar
Directions:
Wash and slice orange and lemon into ¼ thick crosswise slices.
Pour Apple Cider into a large crock pot. Add orange and lemon slices, spices and brown sugar. Stir well to dissolve brown sugar.
Heat on low for at least 4 hours to blend flavors. Strain into serving mugs. Strain any leftovers and refrigerate. Mulled Cider reheats very well!
Thanks for stopping by! Hope you enjoy the recipes!
Betty
Grace and peace be yours in abundance.
