Slow-Cooked Apple Butter (Print Version)
# Ingredients:
01 -
8 pounds of apples (use a combination of sweet and tart varieties for best flavor)
02 -
1 medium lemon
03 -
3/4 cup dark brown sugar, packed, with extra on hand for adjusting
04 -
1/2 cup water
05 -
2 tablespoons cinnamon, plus additional to taste
06 -
2 teaspoons nutmeg, plus additional to taste
# Instructions:
01 -
Remove the cores from your apples and chop them into roughly 1-inch pieces - you should end up with about 6 quarts worth. There's no need to peel them! Toss everything into a large stockpot (you'll want one that holds around 8 quarts). Squeeze your lemon until you get 2 tablespoons of fresh juice and pour it over the apples.
02 -
Toss in the brown sugar, water, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Give everything a good stir so the apples get nicely coated with all those spices. Pop the lid on and turn the heat to medium-high. Give it a stir every 5 minutes or so. After about half an hour, your apples should be fall-apart tender.
03 -
Turn off the heat completely. Grab your immersion blender and blend everything right in the pot until it's silky smooth. If you don't have an immersion blender, no worries - just work in batches with a regular blender, then pour it all back into the pot.
04 -
Leave the lid slightly ajar and turn the heat down to low. Now comes the patience part - let this simmer away for 3 to 3 1/2 hours, giving it a stir every 20 minutes or so. You're looking for it to reduce by almost half and turn a deep, rich color that's much darker than regular applesauce.
05 -
Give it a taste and adjust with more brown sugar or spices if needed. Blend once more until it's perfectly velvety. Let it cool down before transferring to your storage containers. For the absolute best flavor, stick it in the fridge overnight before digging in - trust me, it's worth the wait!
# Notes:
01 -
The apple butter will keep in the refrigerator for several weeks in airtight containers
02 -
Using a mix of sweet and tart apples creates the most complex and balanced flavor
03 -
Letting it rest overnight allows the flavors to meld together beautifully