Peel, core and chop about 3lb apples (I used eaters off the tree, but you could used cooking apples and add a touch more sugar)
Put these in a slow cooker set to high.
Combine 2 cups of sugar (or less if you prefer and depending on the natural sweetness of the apples) with 2 tsp ground cinnamon and 1 tsp mixed spice. Some recipes also add salt and ground cloves! But I chose to keep it simple. Stir into the apples in the slow cooker.
Cook on high for 1 hour, then reduce the heat to Low and cook for a further 9 to 11 hours. (I did mine overnight) It's ready when dark brown and if you pop a tsp of it on a plate in the fridge, it will hold its own shape once cooled.
Decant into sterilised jars and keep as for jam, storing in the fridge once opened.
As you can see, 3lb of apples reduces to a mere 2 and 3/4 jars of Apple butter.
I've just tried a spoonful - delicious and very autumnal. Would be lovely in porridge, rice pudding, stirred into yoghurt on pancakes, waffles or toasted tea cakes, plain toast....... It would probably be nice with a ploughmans too or perhaps with a curry?
Of course, it's naturally gluten free, vegan and the simplest, hands off recipe ever. I shall certainly be making more of this.
Yesterday, I made what I have, somewhat pompously called 'Hedgerow Jam'. It's basically blackberries with some other random mixed berries I had lurking in the deep freeze. I added liquid pectin, but it still took ages to set and has remained a soft set. However, it tastes great. For this, I used the last blackberries I picked which were softer so I had already stewed them with no sugar in readiness for jam making. All the other blackberries I froze on a tray before tipping into bags, so they can be dipped into for crumbles, cakes and cheesecakes.
I read that post and like you have no idea where, I will be trying this out tonight as I have a pile of apples to process. The jam looks good, I have not made any this year as I went slightly OTT last year.
ReplyDeleteI've made enough jam already this year to sink a ship, but I'll give lots of it away. It doesn't take long for us to get through it.
DeleteThe Apple butter is delicious.
You've inspired me, next on my list make Apple Butter :-)
ReplyDeleteTo get Hedgerow Jam to set better just add few apples, cut into quarters, they are full of naturally occurring pectin. If you don't want them in the jam you can fish them out before you jar up.
Thanks. I'll try the apples when I make the loganberry jam. I've read somewhere that crab apples are the best in terms of pectin? Not that I've got any - we got rid of our crab apple tree years ago.
DeleteThe Apple butter is certainly worth a go - yummy. Bizarrely enough, there is a recipe in the latest Lakeland magazine too.
my husband loves applebutter on a biscuit (like your scones), I like a spoonful on cottage cheese. I made apple jelly this year with a little cinnamon added....oh my it is delish....tastes like apple pie! Jan
ReplyDeleteOoh yes, hadn't thought of scones. Perhaps some sultanas in the scones too? I can see how it would pair nicely with soft cheese too. You've gotta love apple and cinnamon!
DeleteI made apple butter for the first time last year.....still got a jar left. I swirl spoonfuls of it into sponge cake mix.
ReplyDeleteI used to make raw sponge cake mix and eat it! I imagine the Apple butter would be lovely stirred into that, but perhaps it's a habit I probably shouldn't return to?!!! I did think it would be nice on a Victoria sponge....
DeleteI will make the Apple Butter sometime, I have been making jam again today and am now out of jars, and I love that its done in the slow cook, I wonder why its called Butter though?
ReplyDeleteWhen you say cups are you meaning american measures or tea cups?
DeleteI meant American cups, which is roughly 200g of sugar. No idea why it's called butter, but you certainly wouldn't need anything extra if you spread it on toast!
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