This recipe for homemade apple butter is simple and delicious, and makes for a perfect fall treat to enjoy after a long afternoon of apple picking!
With fall in full swing, my Instagram feed has been overflowing with families packing up and heading out to their local apple orchards to pick a bushel of apples to take back home and enjoy. Naturally, those same sweet families would post lots of beautiful and scrumptious recipes using those plump and juicy apples over the following days, and it’s been making my taste buds a little bit jealous, not going to lie!
Living in south Alabama, our climate is not conducive for sustaining apple orchards, so I’ve been living vicariously through all of those Instagram pictures and pretending that the apple stand at our local farmer’s market is actually a luscious apple orchard filled with the sweetest apples around! (A girl can dream, right?) 😉
I didn’t discover the goodness of apple butter until I was in my early 20’s. I’m a little sad that I spent so many years not knowing how truly tasty it is, but I’ve more than made up for it over the last few years, as making apple butter has become an annual tradition for me! I love to pair apple butter with savory sandwiches. It’s amazing with melted cheese, and a simple apple butter grilled cheese has been my favorite go-to comfort food this past week!
To get started making the apple butter, simply wash the apples, peel and remove the cores. I use this handy dandy apple corer/slicer to get the job done.
The aroma alone when making apple butter is enough to make me want to break out into a happy dance! After chopping the apples and adding the sugars and spices, I let it all simmer together in a big pot for a few hours, and my house smelled so amazingly sweet. I wanted to link the spoon every time I stirred it! (And if it wasn’t so hot, I just might have!) 😉
Making apple butter is super easy to do. Here’s a free printable copy of the recipe if you’d like to print it out and give it a try!
Homemade Apple Butter
Ingredients
- 4 1/2 lbs apples about 12-14 medium sized apples
- 4 cups apple juice or cider
- 1 cup white granulated sugar
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 2 Tbs lemon juice
- 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp allspice
- 1/4 tsp cloves
Instructions
- Peel apples and remove cores. Roughly chop apples into medium-sized chunks
- In a large pot, add apples and apple juice or cider and bring to a boil
- Reduce heat, cover and allow to simmer for about 30 minutes, or until apples are tender. Stir frequently
- Transfer mixture to a food processor and blend until texture is very smooth
- Return to pot and stir in sugars, lemon juice and spices
- Return to a boil, then reduce heat and cook uncovered over low heat stirring often for 1 1/2 hours until mixture is very thick and mounds on a spoon
- If canning:
- Ladle hot butter into hot, sterilized half-pint canning jars, leaving about 1/4 inch space at the top. Wipe down rims and lids and close jars tightly
- Process jars in a boiling water canner for 5 minutes (start the timer once the water returns to a rolling boil)
- Remove jars from canner and cool
- Makes 6 half-pints
Tried this recipe?
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You can also can apple butter and enjoy it all year long. Just ladle hot apple butter into sterilized jars and process in a boiling water bath for 5 minutes! Remove jars from water and allow to sit undisturbed on the counter until all jars seal. Easy peasy!
Are you enjoying a bounty of apples this fall season? What are some of your favorite recipes to make using apples?
If you’re looking for a little apple-inspiration, check out these recipes found right here on Southern Made Simple!
Cinnamon Glazed Stewed Apples | Fresh Apple and Brown Sugar Cake | Baked Honey Pecan Stuffed Apples | Brown Sugar, Pecan and Cinnamon Apple Stuffed Sweet Potatoes | Carved Turkey, Cheddar and Apple Butter Sandwich
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