Apple Butter

Traci & Jeff Poole1's Note:

My mother taught me how to use the pennies!! It is really a life saver because it helps keep the butter from burning--which I have done.

• Total Time: 40 mins
• Prep Time: 30 mins
• Cook Time: 10 mins

Ingredients:

Yield: 8 jars

• 16 (¼ lb) apples
• 4 cups granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon , ground
• ¼ teaspoon clove , ground
• copper pennies , washed and sanitized (enough to cover the bottom the pot)

Directions:

1. Preparing the apples/pulp: Wash the apples and remove the stem and the blossom ends. DO NOT PEEL nor CORE. Cut the apples into small chunks.
2. Add 2 cups of water and simmer until the apples are nice and soft.
3. Once this is done, press the apples through a sieve or a food mill. YOU MUST HAVE at least 2 quarts of apple pulp.
4. Next, in a large pot, place the pennies on the bottom. It must cover the bottom completely. NOTE: COPPER PENNIES help keep the butter from sticking and burning! Very important!
5. Add the apple pulp, sugar and spices. Cook slowly until it is thick and will stick to a wooden spoon without dripping. Stir butter frequently to keep from sticking. If it is too thick for you, add apple juice to mellow out the thickness.
6. You may can the rest of what you do not use. Wash, sterilize the jars and lids.
7. Ladle the rest of the butter into the pint sized jars, leaving 1/4 inch headroom from the neck of the jar to the rim of the jar is called "head space" Loosely tighten the jar lids to the jar.
8. Make sure you take a clean cheesecloth and clean the rim. You do not want food particles on the rim. Once this is done, place in a hot boiling water bath.
9. Make sure there is at least 1 inch of water over the top of the lids Boil for 10 minutes.
10. Remove from canner and set on counter. Let cool.
11. When they have properly sealed, the lids will make a popping sound. Store on shelf or in your fruit/canning cellar.
12. You will notice how nice and shiny your pennies will be too. The acid in the apple butter will clean the pennies. Don't worry, your apple butter is safe. Just remember to clean, wash, and sanitize your pennies before using them. A small solution of dish soap. Rinse with clear water. Place them in a small solution of bleach water. Rinse again.

Reviews

[Fairymom]

I made this, and much to my amazement, didn't blow my kitchen up, light anything on fire, or injure any small animals in the process. I'm the most non-domestic person, and I was so pleased with how easy this was! It turned out beautifully, and the pennies work great! Can't wait to try the pear butter next. :D

[annlouise]

This was my first time canning, and my first time making apple butter. I was given a bunch of apples from the neighbor's tree and needed to use them up. It sure was exciting to can for the first time!! However, as I was making the butter, it seemed so tart, even after adding the right amount of sugar (I had about 4 qt of pulp/double recipe, so I used 8c sugar). I asked on forums, and someone said usually sweet apples are used for butter, not tart. Well, I followed the suggestion to evaporate some apple juice, and add that and more sugar. It worked, and the butter tastes great. I also didn't know how long it would take to cook the butter, or at what temp. I was afraid of scorching, b/c I didn't have enough pennies. I used one of those doo-hickies that go under your pot that increases air circulation and slows chances of burning. It worked well, but at the lowest temp, my butter didn't cook down very fast. Since this was my first time, I didn't realize it at first, but then I started wondering when it would ever cling to that wooden spoon! I turned the heat up to med-low, and found that stirring helped the evaporation to take place, so I just stayed and stirred every 10 minutes or so. By midnight, I was too tired, so just covered the pot, turned it off, and hit the hay. In the AM, I put it on Med heat (still with the circulator underneath), and stirred every 2 minutes or so. Finally, after about 3 more hours, it was ready! My gallon of pulp was reduced to just enough butter to fill 12 8 oz jelly jars, with 1/2 c leftover. Only 1 didn't seal! This was rewarding, but on the other hand, it did seem like a whole lot of work!!

[MichiganSuperstar]

Absolutely wonderful flavor, just could not get this to thicken up and stick to a spoon, after 5 hours of cooking. It did cook down about 3 inches in my pan. But it doe taste great!!!!