Sweet Apple Cider Butter

We'll I'm actually back now and hopefully this blogging kick will last. Honestly, I have been very busy with work and things around home. I've also been diving into some interesting books lately as a way to get me away from my iPad and laptop. :)

I have been in a canning/freezing frenzy also with over a bushel of apples taking over my kitchen. A little over a month ago we had 4 generations of Steffen women picking apples at my husband's grandma's house. Between my 3 year old niece, my sister-in-law, a second cousin of my husband's and his grandmother we picked about 6 bushes of Golden Delicious apples. While my applesauce/butter making has just finished, my sister-in-law is just getting started with the help of Grandma.

I've also been working at the Tea Room at the Depot in Mackinaw, IL and things have been busy...thus I have been busy too! I really enjoy the work and I highly recommend stopping by sometime for lunch Tuesday-Saturday, but please call to make a reservation first before stopping by...we highly appreciate and recommend it. :)

Anyway, onto more important matters....apple butter! This recipe comes from Ball's Complete Book of Home Preserving. I never follow recipes to the T when cooking, but I definitely do when canning as you can mess up the acidity and cause the food to lose their shelf-life. I did modify how I prepared apples to be made into butter. This was my first time doing apple butter and it turned out great. I loved using the apple cider, because it's fresh and local this time of year. It does add another layer of flavor and it is super sweet with all the sugar, but oh so good!

Makes about eight 8oz jars or four pint jars

6 lbs apples, cored and quartered
2 cups sweet apple cider
3 cups sugar
1-1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves

In a large stainless steel saucepan, combine apples and apple cider. Bring to a boil over medium high heat. Reduce heat and boil gentle, stirring occasionally, until apples are soft.-time will depend on the firmness of the apples you used. Mine took only about 10-15 min!

Working in batches, transfer apple mixture to a food grinder or processor (I used a Victoro food grinder so I didn't need to peel the apples. You'll need to peel the apples if you use anything else). Grind or blend apples until a uniform consistency is reached. DO NOT liquify.

In a clean large stainless steel saucepan, combine apple puree, sugar, cinnamon and cloves. Stir until sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring frequently. Reduce heat and boil gently, stirring frequently, until mixture thickens.*Note: To test thickness, place a small spoonful of butter on a chilled plate. If the mixture holds it's shape with just a small ring of liquid around the butter, it's ready.

Prepare canner, jars, and lids. *Note:Use a Ball or Kerr canning guide or this website

http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/publications/uga/using_bw_canners.html

Ladle hot apple butter into hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace/ Remove air bubbles and adjust headspace, if necessary, by adding more hot apple butter. Wipe rim. Center lid on jar. Screw band down until resistance is met, then increase to fingertip-tight.

Place jars in canner, ensuring they are completely covered with water. Bring to a boil and process for 10 minutes. Remove canner lid. Wait 5 minutes, then remove jars, cool and store. You should hear the beautiful "pop" of the lids popping down to seal. If a jar does not seal properly, then you will be able to push the lid down. If this happens you can either re-can using a new lid or store that one in the fridge and eat it within a few weeks.


Canning things like apple butter makes great homemade holiday gifts or housewarming gifts. Homemade gifts are fun, unique and usually pretty cost effective. Just like the Soup Jars I gave last Christmas that were super fun to make! I bought some Avery labels and used their free downloadable templates to make more interesting labels than just white. I also need to send out a thank you to my grandmother who gave me the pretty quilted jars and fun plaid lids. Stocking stuffer? :)

Enjoy!
e