Canning Apple Butter (Recipe Included)

I tried a new recipe for apple butter this year and it turned out fantastic!  

12 Pounds of Apples!

Apples diced and ready to be cooked!

Apples with fantastic spices!

The finished product!  

Apple Butter:

12-14 Sweet tart apples. 

2 cups apple cider or juice.

1 cup of sugar for every pint or two cups of apples diced.

1 tsp of cinnamon for every pint or two cups of apples diced.

1/2 tsp of allspice for every pint or two cups of apples diced. 

1/2 tsp of ground cloves for every pint or two cups of apples diced.

1/2 tsp of grated or ground nutmeg for every pint or two cups of apples diced. 

Wash, core and dice apples.  Peel them if you choose, I leave the skins on.  Add all diced apples and other ingredients to a sauce pan.  Bring apples to a boil and then let them simmer on low for two hours.  Check on apples and stir every 30 minutes or so to make sure they are not burning or sticking to the bottom of your sauce pan.  You may also cook the apple mixture in a slow cooker on med/high for six hours.  After cook time is finished apples will be very soft.  Mash mixture with a mash potato masher, use an immersion blender, or you can run the apples through a food processor before cooking and they will cook down enough that mashing won't be needed.  I used an immersion blender.  Bring mixture back to a boil and then bottle.  I like to bottle the apple butter in half pints....  We don't use the apple butter fast enough and it goes bad when bottled in bigger bottles.  I process half pints for 10-15 minutes in a water bath....  Don't start timing water bath until the water is boiling with bottles.

*Make sure to adjust water bath time based on your altitude.

Enjoy!

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