Cranberry apple butter. It was a dream for a long time before it ever became a reality in my kitchen… But, I have to say, (now that I’ve finally made it): this apple butter recipe is the best I’ve ever had!

I love apple butter in all shapes and sizes (especially enjoying the smell it of while it cooks), but I have to admit that the blend of tart cranberries, sweet apples, and holiday spices creates something a little extra special than your average apple butter concoction. 

About this recipe

This smooth fruit spread is tart and sweet, and a rich, deep red. It’s absolutely perfect for this time of year, with that lip-smacking apple/cranberry flavour and the spicy smell of Christmas. Believe me, the effort (which is actually not that much) is well worth it when it comes to making this lovely fall/winter treat!

How to use cranberry apple butter

Use this recipe in place of any normal jam. Personally, I love it on toast with butter or peanut butter… Because who doesn’t love apples with peanut butter?

You can also use this in place of jam for your favourite baked treats, such as jam thumbprint cookies or raspberry jam bars (subbing the jam for apple butter). A couple of other recipe ideas, aside from just eating it on bread, would be to make my Cranberry Apple Butter Danishes or Apple Butter Baked Brie.

What kind of apples to use for this recipe

Any good cooking or baking apples (like Granny Smith, Mutsu, Gala, Cortland, Paula Red etc) will work great, but you can use just about any type. Especially since this recipe is paired with cranberries, sweeter apples will still compliment this recipe well without compromising the tart quality of the cranberries.

How to make cranberry apple butter

Cranberry apple butter is made exactly the same way as normal apple butter. The ingredients are prepared and combined in a large pot, cooked until soft, and puréed until smooth. The mixture is then cooked until reduced, thick, and richly flavoured with spices.

Preparing the fruit optimally

To make apple butter, the apples must be peeled and cored first. You can do this by hand (as I usually do), or if you want to make the process much faster, you can pick up an apple peeler/corer to do the job for you.

Cranberries have tiny little seeds inside, but I don’t find that these affect the texture in a negative way at all. The puréeing process seems to dissolve them almost entirely, and any extra little bits of texture are no more bother than the occasional seed in a seedless raspberry jam.

Storing homemade preserves

You can make this recipe shelf stable by canning it, or if you don’t know how to do that you can store it in the fridge or freezer. Just make sure you keep it in sealed, freezer safe containers.

To learn how to can your own apple butter, use my Basic Canning Method for an easy way to can your own jam!

To make this recipe, you will need:

• Ingredients (see recipe card)
• Apple peeler (hand peeler or peeler corer machine)
• Chef’s knife
• Paring knife
• Cutting board
• Measuring cups and spoons
• Glass measuring pitcher
• Large heavy bottomed saucepan
• Immersion blender, blender or food processor
• Jars, for canning (optional) or freezer safe containers
• Canning supplies (optional)

Print

Cranberry Apple Butter

This easy recipe makes a rich, delicious fall/winter flavoured apple-cranberry jam. Makes 3-4 8oz jars.

Course Breakfast, Tea

Cuisine Canadian

Keyword apple butter, cranberry

Prep Time 8 hours 30 minutes

Servings 3 cups

Ingredients

• 9 cups apples
• 3 cups cranberries
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cups apple juice cranberry juice or water
• 1/4 cups lemon juice
• 4 tsp cinnamon
• 3/4 tsp ground cloves

Instructions

1. Wash, peel, and chop the apples. Wash the cranberries.
2. Combine all of the ingredients in a large pot.
3. Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, and cook until the apples and cranberries are soft. Purée the mixture with an immersion blender* until smooth, and simmer for 6-8 hours, or until reduced, thickened, and a deep red colour.
4. Can immediately in sealed jars, or store in containers in the fridge or freezer until use. Use as you would any fruit jam.

Recipe Notes

*If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can process your apples and cranberries in a food processor or blender before cooking instead.

Some other great apple butter recipes:

• Tart Apple Butter
• Sweet Apple Butter
• Pumpkin Apple Butter

There you have it. I hope you enjoy this recipe! If you make this apple butter, let me know in the comments; or as always, feel free to tag me in your photos on Instagram @naomicakesofficial. I love to see that my recipes are being enjoyed!

Thanks for stopping in, and I’ll be back soon,

Naomi

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