'Tis the season to make apple butter. This year I thought I would try something different and make an apple cider butter.
Before jumping into the recipe, I wanted to share some other great apple butter resources and recipes from around the web:
Marisa, from Food in Jars, did a wonderful piece for Simple Bites, on her method for making apple butter.
And on her own site, Marisa did a great post on how to make apple butter and how to use it.
For something a little different try Tigress' ancho apple butter.
And now for that recipe…
Apple Cider Butter
(makes four pint jars of apple cider butter)
Ingredients
10 cups chopped, cored apple pieces
6 cups apple cider
4 cups sugar
1.5 tsp cinnamon
1.5 tsp allspice
1 tsp cloves
1.5 tsp nutmeg
Directions
Prepare canner, jars and lids.
In a stainless steel saucepan, combine apple pieces and cider. Cook until apples are tender – about 20 minutes.
{{{Let's stop here for a moment and notice the green apples.}}}
Tart apples are more acidic, which makes sense because obviously a Fuji is very sweet, thus it must not have a lot of acid. Truth!
So, when choosing apples for canning, remember: the tarter the apple, the safer it is. Remember that canning requires food to be sufficiently acidic to prevent botulism. In this recipe I used Granny Smith apples.
At this point you'll want to puree the apples and remove the skins. The best way to do this is with a food mill, which works very well for this purpose. Alternately, you could peel the apples prior to cooking and then throw the mixture into a food processor later. But that's two steps versus one. So I choose the food mill.
Because the apples are sqooshy at this point, it really is a very fast process. Don't let the food mill scare you.
Put the pureed mixture back into the pan and add your sugar and spices. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly to prevent burning, until thick.
Pour into hot, sterilized jars, leaving 1/2 inch head space.
Wipe rim, center lid on jar, and add screw band to fingertip tight.
Process in a canner bath for 20 minutes at sea level, more depending on altitude or larger size of jar.
Remove canner lid and let jars rest for 5 minutes before removing from the water. Lift the jars out of the water and let them cool without touching or bumping them.
Cool jars overnight. Once the jars have cooled, ensure they are sealed. Press down gently in the center of the lid. If it pops up and down (often making a popping sound), it is not sealed. Put the jar in the refrigerator and enjoy it for the next 3 – 4 weeks. If the lid remains taut, you've got a good seal.
Notes: This was the first time I've had a seal fail me. Ack! And how did it happen? Well, when I was lifting one of the jars out of the canner bath I didn't set it down well, and it fell over. I quickly set it upright again, but at that point all I could do was wait until morning.
The reason you're not supposed to touch a jar for 24 hours after processing is because the seal is being made during this time and if liquid sloshes around in the jar, it could compromise the seal. As mine did. So the next morning when I was testing the seals on the jars, one of the seals popped up and down. In the fridge it went! No worries, it's being eaten!
I also wonder if this apple cider butter even requires spice. Cider is spicy by nature and the final product was a bit stronger than is my preference. I made a regular apple butter last year, and I think I preferred that. Will be digging up that old recipe.
