This homemade apple pie filling is perfect for all your fall baking this year!
Recipe Summary Chef John's Apple Butter
Move over, apple sauce. Apple butter is basically a spreadable apple pie filling, only better. Though cooking time is long, it's super easy and pretty hands-free. Pair it with some sharp Cheddar on a cheese plate, or slather it onto cheesy biscuits (see footnote). Other approved uses include spreading between the layers of a spice cake, filling seasonably appropriate thumbprint cookies, or even as a condiment for pork chops.Ingredients | Apple Pie Filling
5 pounds Granny Smith apples, cored and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 ½ cups white sugar
½ cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
⅛ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
½ teaspoon ground allspice
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
1 splash water
Directions
Place apple pieces into a large slow cooker. Add white sugar, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and vinegar. Add a splash of water and mix well.
Cover and cook on High until apples are starting to soften and release liquid, 1 to 2 hours. Reduce heat to Low and cook, uncovered, until all the apple flesh is dissolved, 5 to 6 hours. Stir occasionally.
Puree using an immersion blender until smooth. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until darkened and thick, about 4 hours more. Pass apple butter through a strainer if desired. Seal in a glass container and refrigerate until cool.
Chef's Notes:
Any classic cooking apple should work in this recipe.
If you don't have a slow cooker you can certainly do it on top of the stove over low heat, as long as you use a nice thick-bottomed pot, and stir often. Another option would be to place the mixture in a large roasting pan, and cook it in a slow oven, stirring occasionally until dark and thick.
See my recipe for Irish Cheddar Spring Onion Biscuits.
Info | Apple Pie Filling
prep:
15 mins
cook:
10 hrs
total:
10 hrs 15 mins
Servings:
32
Yield:
4 cups
TAG : Chef John's Apple Butter
Side Dish, Sauces and Condiments Recipes, Canning and Preserving Recipes, Fruit Butter Recipes,
