Apple Butter

The first time I heard of apple butter was a few days ago when looking through some recipes. I remember wondering if it was an apple flavoured butter sought of like garlic butter. I was about to put the recipe away when I decided to google apple butter and discovered that I could in fact make it myself.

I was surprised to see that it look more like jam (jelly) rather than butter. Once I found a suitable recipe I decided to go ahead and give it a try but was later put off when I realised just how time consuming it is. A friend of mine helped me search through recipes until we discovered one that didn't require much time.

The recipe we found was from the myrecipes website. It was easy to understand and didn't require me to use any special pots.

I used starking apples because they are my favourite. I found the apple butter very pleasant but a taste that I would need to get used to especially since I'm not a fan of cooked apples. From what I've read apple butter can also be enjoyed on toast but I decided to make an apple cake. I halved the recipe since I only needed a cup. I also used apple juice instead of the apple cider called for in the recipe and ground cinnamon instead of cinnamon sticks.

Apple Butter
from myrecipes.com

Yield: 4 cups (serving size: 1/4 cup)

Ingredients

4 pounds (1.8kg) Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and quartered
1 cup apple cider
1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
Dash of ground cloves
2 (3-inch) cinnamon sticks
1 star anise

Preparation:

Combine apples and cider in a large stockpot; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer, partially covered, 30 minutes or until apples are tender.

Place apple mixture in a food processor; pulse 6 times or until chunky. Return to pan.
Stir in sugar and remaining ingredients. Cook over low heat 1 hour or until thick, stirring occasionally. Discard cinnamon and star anise. Cover and chill.

Note: Store in an airtight container in refrigerator for up to 1 month.