It’s time to share one of my favourites: My oh-so-simple recipe for tart apple butter.

Fall is my favourite time of year. I’m a big fan of those cool, crisp days and warm, spicy treats that fill the house with the scents of fall flavoured foods and nostalgia. With the holidays just around the corner, the air grows chilly outside, and the atmosphere grows warm with good food, thick sweaters, and time spent with the people we love.

This recipe is the perfect thing to make to get yourself in the mood for fall. It’s so simple to throw together; but, since it cooks for a long time, the smell of apples simmering on the stove envelopes your whole house in the scent of home-cooked fall yumminess.

What is apple butter?

Apple butter is basically apple jam, made with puréed cooked apples and spices. Since the mixture is puréed, it is smooth (like butter) and used as a spread (like peanut butter or jam).

How is apple butter made?

To make this recipe, apples are cooked with a bit of water, lemon, and spices until they are soft. Apples can be puréed before or after cooking, but the key to a great apple butter is that it is cooked for many hours (usually 6-8), until the liquid is reduced and the mixture thickens. In the end, the result is a thick, spreadable, smooth, apple jam.

Why you’ll love this recipe

This tart homemade apple butter is the perfect recipe to kick off the fall season. It’ll get the house smelling like apple orchards and Christmas, and it’s just the right taste to whet your appetite for the treats of days to come!

How this recipe came to be

I made a recipe like this one years ago and loved it so much (both the process and the end result) that it stayed on the back burner of my mind for several years following. Once I decided to make something similar for my blog, I enjoyed making (and eating!) it so much that I ended up on a bit of an apple butter kick… and well, lots of different variations came out of that time, and all of them became favourites!

Is this recipe easy to make?

This recipe is extremely easy to make! It will make your house smell like magic and make your friends think that you’re a kitchen master, when really… all you did was throw some stuff in a pot and cook it!

The most tedious part of this process is definitely the peeling and coring part – But if you have one of those magic gizmos that do that for you, even that part isn’t difficult.

Made with less sugar

One reason this apple butter recipe is such a favourite is that it really doesn’t call for much sugar at all. While most jams and apple butters call for large amounts of sugar, this recipe uses mostly just the sweetness of the apples themselves to give it the flavour that it has. The end result is a much healthier option to traditional jams and jellies; and well, if I’m honest, I might prefer the taste of it to most of those anyway!

What kind of apple to use for this recipe

For this particular tutorial, I used Paula Red apples, and they were perfect (and so pretty!). Any good baking or cooking apple will work well, however, so don’t worry about getting “the right kind” too much.

How to store apple butter

You can make apple butter shelf stable by canning it using my Basic Canning Method. If you prefer not to bother with that (although I promise… it’s not hard), you can also store it in the fridge or freezer in sealed freezer safe containers.

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

Tart Apple Butter

This delicious homemade apple butter recipe is the perfect thing to make to kick off the fall season. It smells like apples and spices, and it tastes like tart apple jam. And the best part, it's super simple to make!

Course Breakfast, Jam

Cuisine Canadian

Keyword apple butter

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 8 hours

Servings 4 cups

Author Naomi

Ingredients

• 10 cups chopped apples about 12 small-medium apples, or 7-8 large ones
• 1 cup apple juice or cider can also use water in a pinch
• 1/2 cup lemon juice
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. ground cloves

Instructions

1. Wash, peel, and chop the apples.

2. Throw the apples into a large pot. Add the remaining ingredients.

3. Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, and cook until the apples are soft. Purée the apples with an immersion blender* until smooth, and simmer for 6-8 hours, or until reduced, thickened, and a rich dark brown.

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 in a food processor or blender before cooking instead.

Related recipes:

• Sweet Apple Butter
• Cranberry Apple Butter
• Pumpkin Apple Butter
• Apple Butter Baked Brie
• Cranberry Apple Butter Danishes

I hope you enjoy this recipe! As always, if you make it, feel free to tag me (pretty please) @naomicakesofficial on Instagram! It’s always so fun to see that people are enjoying my favourite things.

–Naomi

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