Apple Butter Recipe with Cider

You can use this apple butter recipe to make a filling for cakes, sandwiches, or as a simple spread.

It also adds a unique and different flavor to any of your cold meat sandwiches.

Apple butter made following this recipe will keep for up to a year preserving the taste of apples for you to enjoy once fresh apples are out of season.

Ingredients:

• One gallon apple cider (alcoholic or non-alcoholic)
• As many apples as you can get hold of
• Cinnamon or nutmeg to taste

Directions:

• Boil the apple cider until it reaches half its original volume.

• Wash peel and quarter your apples. Get as many apples into the pan as you can and leave it to gently simmer and stew the apples.

• Stir the stewing mixture frequently.
• When the apples have broken up skim off any residues, such as skin, and add more apples.

• Keep repeating this process adding more apples until you have thick dark brown apple butter.  Sometimes you may have to leave it overnight before continuing. That is fine just leave it covered up somewhere cool and reheat the next day.

When you have the apple butter at the consistency you want add any spices you want and warm it for a further half an hour. Now ladle it into sterilized, warmed jars, seal and label. (See strawberry jam for details of how to sterilize jars.)

This is not a difficult recipe to make but it does take attention and time.

You must stir the apples frequently to avoid sticking. If the apple butter gets too thick add a little cider to thin it.

The natural sugar in the apples should be enough to sweeten it but some people prefer to add sugar. You can do this at any stage of the boiling but stir it thoroughly to make sure the sugar has dissolved.