Put your apples to good use with this smooth, delicious spiced apple butter that’s the perfect way to kick off fall.
Spiced Apple Butter
Ok friends, so it’s officially the first day of fall and it’s currently 65° here in Alabama… soooo obviously I had to drop this recipe for y’all today! I’m currently sitting outside on my front porch with Louie (my sweet pup) wrapped up in a blanket eating warm leftover vegetable-tortellini soup. Aka I am fully submerged in fall lol.
When I first discovered apple butter (which wasn’t that long ago), I absolutely freaked out and couldn’t believe that I’d never had it before! A couple years ago my mom and I went apple picking in Northern Georgia and we came home with so0o many apples.. so if you’re like us and you have tons of fresh apples on hand, this recipe is for you!
What is Apple Butter?
Ok I know what you’re thinking… apple… butter??? And for all of my friends that are thinking of apple-flavored butter right now, I’m so happy to let you know that this is not what apple butter is. Apple butter is basically like any other fruit jam/jelly, but what makes it so delicious and over the top is that it’s made with warm fall spices and it’s typically slow cooked for around 4 hours. The slow cooking process just allows all of the flavors to mend together while softening the apples up really nicely.
Wondering what you should serve Apple Butter with?
Let me just help you out a little bit and let you in on the only things that you need to be eating apple butter with… Homemade Biscuits.
I think biscuit-making is sort of a right-of-passage here in the South, and honestly they’re some of my absolute favorite things to make. If you’re a southern girl like me and you want to learn how to make your own biscuits, please let me teach you!!! I know that can be intimidating at times, but that’s exactly why I’ve walked you through the whole process in this blog post. There’s just something about warm biscuits smeared with spiced apple butter on a chilly fall morning. Hopefully I’ve convinced you that you need this apple butter in your life, so let’s get into the recipe!
Kitchen Equipment You’ll Need
Though you can most likely make this apple butter with what you have on hand in your kitchen, I recommend these things below:
- Dutch Oven: You’ll need a large pot to boil the apples down in, and I love using this Le Creuset Dutch Oven. It is the perfect size, and it’s honestly one of my favorite things I own in my kitchen.
- Corse-Mesh Sieve: This is a NECESSITY for this recipe. You’ll need one of these (or a food mill) to strain the apples from their peels and the cloves before baking.
- 13- x- 9-inch Pan: The reason you’ll need a pan this size is because we want to make sure the apple butter is in a thin layer when we bake it.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Make sure you grab these next time you’re at the store!
- Honeycrisp apples
- Apple cider
- Brown sugar
- Granulated sugar
- Cinnamon stick
- Whole cloves
- Ground nutmeg
- Lemon juice
- Apple cider vinegar
Tips for Making Spiced Apple Butter
- Use Honeycrisp apples. I love this variety of apple because they have a tart and sweet flavor to them. They tend to be a little bit more expensive than others, but it’s so worth it.
- Don’t forget the lemon juice. There’s only a little bit of lemon juice in this recipe, but boy does it make a difference! The acidity of the lemon brings out the sweetness of the apple so well, so definitely be sure you use freshly squeezed lemon juice, not the store-bought bottled kind.
- A word on apple cider vinegar… I know this can seem like a strange thing to put into an apple butter, but trust me… I’ve tried it with and without the vinegar and I can’t tell you enough how badly it’s needed in this recipe. It adds a certain punch to the end of the flavor experience that is so delicious!
That’s all from me for now! I hope you all enjoy this beautiful fall day and love this recipe as much as I do! Don’t forget to tag me on socials (@sarahsdayoff) if you make this so I can see how amazing they all look!
P.S. and don’t forget to make these biscuits to go along with it. 🙂
Love, Sarah
Spiced Apple Butter
Ingredients
- 6 Honeycrisp apples cored, unpeeled, and chopped
- 3 1/2 cups apple cider
- 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 3 whole cloves
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 2 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
Instructions
- Bring apples, cider, sugars, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and salt to a boil in a large wide pot.
- Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid has evaporated and apples are very soft, about 1 1/2 hours.
- Discard the cinnamon stick. Pass apple mixture through a coarse-mesh sieve or food mill, pressing with a rubber spatula or the back of a spoon. Discard peel, cloves, and any remaining seeds.
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Transfer apple mixture to a 13- x- 9-inch baking pan. Stir in lemon juice and bake 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until reduced, very thick, and a dark amber color.
- Remove pan from oven and stir in apple cider vinegar; let cool in pan.
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