Apple Butter....it's simply a matter of concentration

Apple butter is a bit of a misnomer ‘cuz there’s no butter in this low-sugar-added fruit spread, simply intense apple flavour. It’s basically very concentrated apple sauce. The more you cook it, the darker and thicker it becomes. There are a number of ways to make apple butter. In the end, it all boils down (no pun intended) to personal preference and the equipment you have available to work with.

 Ingredients:

• 4 pounds of a good saucing apple such as Cortland or McIntosh
• 1-2 cups of water
• brown sugar, cinnamon, cloves or allspice to taste (or none at all)
• cider vinegar or lemon juice to taste (or none at all)

Methods:
You can peel and core the apples but this is not a necessity. Apple cores contain pectin, which firms the ‘butter’, and there is a lot of flavor and colour in the apple peels, so you might want to leave them in the mix. You do have to quarter the apples, add a bit of water and start turning them into sauce by bringing them to a boil in a large pot on the stove, then turning the temperature down to simmer for about 20 minutes. Given the process of making fruit ‘butter’ is all about reduction, you have to begin with a lot of apples (and a little water) so use a large pot.

After the apples are sauced, you will want to ensure a smooth consistency to the end product. If you’ve made the sauce with unpeeled and un-cored apples, then you must use a food mill or sieve to get rid of the cooked skin and cores. If you’ve peeled and cored the apples prior to saucing them, then you can simply use a blender or immersible whizzer to ensure there are no lumps in your sauce.

Once the apple sauce is pureed, slowly reduce it using the same cooking pot on the stove over a low heat, stirring frequently. Or, if you have a slow cooker, use that for the reduction process. This is all about evaporation. You can add whatever small amount of seasoning (cinnamon, cloves or allspice) and sugar you wish to add. Alternatively, you can add nothing at all. Remember, apples contain fruit sugar and those natural sugars are condensed during the cooking process. By not adding more sugar, the final product will be lovely and tart. Some recipes add apple cider vinegar to the mix, others use a splash of fresh lemon juice. Pour the butter into hot, sterilized canning jars and seal with sterilized lids. If you plan to store the apple butter un-refrigerated, make sure to follow proper preserving procedures (i.e. a boiling water bath after bottling).