10/8/08

Beautiful Apple Butter!

This last weekend I made our family favorite, Apple Butter.

APPLE BUTTER
8 cups applesauce
3 1/2 cups sugar
1 T. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ginger
1 tsp. cloves
(I always double this recipe - it fits perfectly into my large pot)

I also make “pear butter” using this same recipe. But since its apple season, and our dear friends Roger and Faye provided us with a bountiful supply of wonderful Golden Delicious apples a week ago, I knew it was time to pull out my Fruit & Vegetable Strainer attachment for my Kitchen Aid mixer and get started.

The process begins … and by the way, it’s an easy process if you have a stand-up Kitchen Aid mixer with the attachment.

There is NO peeling and NO coring!

Wash apples in the sink



Quarter and put into a heavy large pot with about 1 cup of water


Boil and stir until apples are soft


Run softened apples through strainer


Beautiful applesauce - eat naturally with no sugar


Yucky skin, stems and seeds, ready to compost


Measure applesauce and other ingredients - stir and heat to boiling


Pour into sterilized jars


Always use brand new sterilized lids, and then ring


Process for 15 minutes in boiling water bath. Cool and ENJOY! We love Apple Butter on toast, waffles, pancaks, and muffins. The family favorite is "peanut-butter-and-jellies" or served warm over ice cream!


Guess what?

I'm having a Fall GIVEAWAY next week to celebrate my 2 year Blog Anniversary!

Included in this giveaway will be a pint of my homemade Apple Butter!

And speaking of giving away Apple Butter, last night I SWAPPED A MEAL again with another mom-friend, Jacquie! We’re keeping it simple and making the main dish for each other’s families. We LOVE variety!

I snuck in some of Roger’s apples, so Jacquie could make a pie, and of course a jar of apple butter! These along with Beef Pot Pie with cheese crust on top for her family!


And Jacquie blessed our family with her outstanding Chicken and Dumplings! One of our boys’ favorite meals when they go to her house!


Aren’t we blessed by food and giving friends?

That is why I love this time of year so much. We all seem to hunker down, make some amazing meals, love, share and most of all give thanks for all that we have.

Enjoy this Apple Butter recipe! I’d love to hear if you’ve ever made apple butter, or if you tried my recipe from last year? (Or maybe you'd love to win a pint next week! Stay tuned ...)

36 comments:

Betts said...

Oooo, I'd love a har of your apple butter. I want to try making it too. I've got to look into getting that attachment for my mixer. What else to you make/do with yours?

Betts said...

ooops, I meant "jar", not "har". Har-dee-har-har!

. said...

This year I was blessed with lots of apples from my brother's yard (rental and he won't be there next year :( ) and I made your apple butter. It turned out wonderfully and I use it everyday on my daughter's sandwich for school!
I don't have a strainer though so it was all about peeling and coring for a few days and I was sick of it. Will be watching for a strainer before I take that project on again! :)

Christian - Modobject@Home said...

I've never made apple butter but have always wanted too. I recall seeing an easy recipe for "oven apple butter" one time... I should hunt it down, or just try yours!

Anonymous said...

I made pear butter and we loved it. I will have to try this. Sounds yummy!

Becky said...

I have made apple butter in the past - our family enjoys it! But what they really love is applesauce! I keep making it and they keep gobbling it up! I'd love a KitchenAid attachment, but right now, I do the same thing with a potato ricer. Not quite as high-tech, but still so much easier than all that coring and peeling, and less waste! I think an old fashioned food mill would work, too!

Lisa B. said...

Can't wait to try out the Apple Butter recipe...thanks for sharing.

Now I'm hungry :-)

Suzann said...

I have not ever made apple butter, but from your directions, I think I would love to give it a go. What is that attachment on your mixer? I think I'll have to order that.

Christine said...

Ok I have been canning for four weeks straight now...can I just win yours or do I have to make my own!...lol I love this...going to try it...and with a happy heart too!...thanks for sharing your fun ideas here...Christine =O)

Shell in your Pocket said...

How yummy...I love apple butter!
Your pictures are great!
-Sandy Toes

Praise and Coffee said...

Looks fabulous, thanks for the recipe!
Sue

Tamara Jansen said...

I don't know if you are aware of the following cultural fact but.....every dutch meal must contain apple "sauce" or it just isn't a well rounded meal. Isn't it great to be of dutch heritage? Lucky me!

Kirstin said...

I have never made apple butter, but I do like it.

The switched meals look yummy!Especially since my tummy is very empty as I've been sick for the last 24 hours. )C:

Anonymous said...

When I've made apple(or pear) butter, I've put the chopped fruit in a crock pot, cooked on low stirring for 3 days or so, add sugar and spices to taste, when it's thick enough to be appropriate, can using a water bath. Easy

Anonymous said...

My Mother kept us all in applebutter. We lost her this year (joy for her, heart ache for us!!) so I have taken it upon myself to keep up the tradition. Thanksgiving will be difficult without her this year but we will enjoy one more at her house and I plan to send everyone home with a pint of applebutter. I would love to have some of yours!

I love your blog. It is an encouragement to me to entertain.

Becky

100 Thoughts of Love said...

I have been dying to try canning or making pickles..This looks like a good thing to start on...But it would be better if i could win a jar so i know what to aim for when i make mine! ;)

Darlene Schacht said...

I emailed you, but my email is terrible this week, so you might not get it today--or ever! LOL

Let me know, ok?

toofattofly@shaw.ca (this is a working email, the other ones are being goofy)

Betsy Brock said...

Your apple butter looks delicious! Do you ever use the green way of canning for it? I did salsa using your way this week and I'm not sure I can ever go back to a water bath! :)

Rhonda said...

Wow - Thanks for the step-by-step. The only time I've had apple butter was this summer, in Oklahoma, at a Texas Roadhouse restaurant. It was very good. I assumed that there would be a dairy ingredient - hence, the name butter. I was surprised when I read your recipe.

"Hello... It's Me Again..." said...

I love apple butter but have never tried making it myself. I would love a jar of your apple butter. One of these days I will attempt to make apple butter with your recipe. I enjoy your recipes and the pictures.

Ms. Tee said...

How great that you don't have to peel or core - I love that. :)

Girl Raised in the South said...

I have the Kitchenaid mixer, but don't think I have the right attachment - can you tell me which one I need? I'd love, love to do this - it sounds very doable.

grace said...

words can't express how much i love apple butter. i love your method and your recipe. :)

Christine said...

Where did you get the attachment for your mixer? And also, I want to make this Sunday, I have a shipment of apples being delivered to my house from Yakima Saturday. So when you cook this it become the consistency of butter?

The Summer Kitchen Girls said...

Karla made crock pot apple butter... got ate up before it ever made it into canning jars! Maybe we will get a chance to make some more. However, winning a jar would be lovely!
Karla & Karrie

Rebekah said...

Oh, I love apple butter! Especially in the fall.

Carolyn said...

Just surfin' the blogs and found you. I wanted to say Hi and nice Blog.

Apple Butter is on my to do list. I was looking for a good recipe. And thanks for the Kitchen Aid tip. I gotta get me one of those things!

Anonymous said...

I made apple butter last year in my crockpot, from quartered apples. The ingredients were much the same as yours, I just peeled and cored my apples first, and didn't need to run them through the food processor (which I don't have).

Thanks for the reminder - I need to do it again this year now that apples are so bountiful! And, oh! the way the house smells while it's cooking...

Aubrey said...

mmmmm...apple butter! What a wonderful idea to add to my Christmas baskets! My family LOVES that stuff!

Anonymous said...

my in-laws just brought a peck of apples from Pennsylvania and I have that attachment and have never used it. i know what i'm doing tomorrow! yum!

a woman who is said...

Looks like you have been busy as always...yummy looking applesauce. I am headed to the farmers market this morning....

That was a HUGE birthday party...what a fun time.

Your post on the mundane...great ideas to live life to its fullest.

Keep up the inspirations!!!

GiBee said...

Looks yummy! I'm going to try to make it this year!!!

Elizabeth said...

I'm going to try this recipe for myself!! I've never made it before.

Thanks a bunch!!!
Elizabeth

Johnson Family said...

I ran across your blog. So creative. I am going to try making apple butter next week and I was so excited to run across your recipe.

Lucy..♥ said...

Love, apple butter but I've never made it, don't know why that is though. My DD recently brought home a "candied apple butter" Oooh my, it's so good!! I must try this, you make it look so easy!!

Jen said...

I have never made apple butter but not really a fan of apples that much...but I want to try and make pear honey this fall..something I have been teetering with also.