Apple Butter Recipe & Canning 🍎

Wash jars, bands, and lids in warm, soapy water. Fill the canner with enough water to cover the jars while they are standing up. Boil jars and bands for at least 10 minutes before filling them. DO NOT boil lids, as this will compromise their sealing ability.

Wash the apples, peel them, and remove their cores.

Cut the apples into smaller pieces to speed up the cooking process. Put the diced apples in a large non-reactive stainless steel pot over medium-low heat. Cook on low-medium heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the sugar to the pot to help release some of the apples' natural juices.

After the apples have cooked down and softened for about 25 minutes, use a potato masher to break them apart. Continue cooking until they are soft enough to blend smoothly with an immersion blender.

Use an immersion blender to blend the apples to your preferred consistency, whether it's chunky or smooth.

Next, add cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt, stirring until fully combined. Then, mix in the extracts—maple works great, but vanilla or a combination of both can also be used. Stir everything together thoroughly and let it simmer on low heat for about 5 minutes.

For canning, ladle hot apple butter into hot jars, leaving a 1/4-inch headspace. Remove any air bubbles with a spatula tool.

Make sure to wipe the rims of the jars thoroughly, ensuring they are clean and free from anything that could prevent proper sealing.

Place lids and rings on and fingertip tighten.

Carefully lower jars into a boiling water bath canner, ensuring the water covers the jars by 1-2 inches. Place the lid on the canner. Here are the processing times for canning apple butter at different elevations: for 0-1,000 ft., process pints and half-pints for 5 minutes and quarts for 10 minutes; for 1,001-6,000 ft., process pints and half-pints for 10 minutes and quarts for 15 minutes; above 6,000 ft., process pints and half-pints for 15 minutes and quarts for 20 minutes. When the time is up, turn off the heat, move the canner from the heat source if possible, and carefully remove the lid. Let the jars stand for 5 minutes in the water, then remove them and place them on a kitchen towel to cool undisturbed for 12-24 hours. Store in a cool, dry place for up to a year.

Enjoy!

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