Quick Hard Cider Apple Butter
A quick take on classic apple butter: tart apples, brown sugar, cinnamon and hard cider simmer for 15–20 minutes instead of hours, then get blended silky smooth. Makes about 1 liter (four half-pint jars), water-bath canned for the pantry or gifts.
Ingredients
- 1.5 kg tart apples (such as Granny Smith; weighed before peeling and coring)
- 330 ml hard apple cider (one bottle; or sweet apple cider for an alcohol-free version)
- 150-250 g brown sugar (packed; to taste, depending on the apples)
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg (freshly grated)
- 1/4 tsp fine salt
- 1 whole clove (crushed)
- fresh lemon juice (optional, to taste)
Equipment
- Copper preserving pan or a Dutch oven
- Dutch oven a heavy, wide pot
- Immersion blender or a food processor
- Water-bath canning set canner, rack, jar lifter, funnel
- 4 Half-pint canning jars with new two-piece lids
Instructions
Apple butter
- Peel and core the apples.
- Chop the apples roughly and put them in a wide preserving pan or heavy-bottomed pot.
- Crush the clove.
- Grate the nutmeg.
- Sprinkle the brown sugar over the apples.
- Add the cinnamon, salt, clove and nutmeg.
- Pour in the hard cider.
- Bring to a boil over low heat, stirring now and then.
- Turn the heat to the lowest setting and simmer for 15–20 minutes, until the apples fall apart.
- Thickness look before blending.
- Blend with an immersion blender right in the pan (or in a food processor) until completely smooth. Taste and add lemon juice if needed.
- Plate test: spoon a little onto a saucer from the freezer. It should hold a soft mound with no ring of liquid around it; if not, simmer a few minutes longer and test again. Bring back to a simmer before filling the jars.
Canning
- Fill hot sterilized half-pint or pint jars with the hot apple butter, leaving ¼ inch (6 mm) of headspace. Wipe the rims and add new lids and bands, fingertip-tight.
- Process in a boiling-water canner: 5 minutes at 0–1,000 ft, 10 minutes at 1,001–6,000 ft, 15 minutes above 6,000 ft. Turn off the heat, wait 5 minutes, then lift out the jars and let them cool undisturbed for 12–24 hours.
Sterilize the jars first: boil them on the canner rack under 1 inch of water for 10 minutes, plus 1 minute for every 1,000 ft above 1,000 ft. Keep them hot.
Notes
Use tart apples: they fall apart in 15–20 minutes and blend smooth. Sweet apples hold their shape and need much longer.
Before canning, do the plate test, and fill the jars while the apple butter is very hot.
USDA processing times for half-pints or pints: 5 minutes at 0–1,000 ft, 10 minutes at 1,001–6,000 ft, 15 minutes above 6,000 ft. Hard cider leaves a little alcohol; use sweet apple cider for an alcohol-free batch.
Nutrition
Calories: 24kcalCarbohydrates: 6gProtein: 0.1gFat: 0.1gSaturated Fat: 0.01gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.01gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.002gSodium: 10mgPotassium: 34mgFiber: 1gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 13IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 4mgIron: 0.1mg