The apple saga continues. So far I've made apple bread for shelter (turned out

M

marilynfl

Moderator
a bit martyr-ish since I replaced 1/4 of the AP flour with white whole wheat and reduced the sugar (used my own applesauce which was sweetened), but it seemed appreciated.

Also made a big batch of applesauce for freezer and after I excavate more room, I'll cut up slices for future pies.

I wanted Barbara in VA apple butter dessert for next donation and so I'm making crockpot apple butter--which has SO MUCH apple cider vinegar that my sinuses feel like they've been run through a car wash. I started with an online recipe that used a large amount of apples and doubled that (to 8 lbs of apples) which seemed a lot but barely made a dent in the pile on my counter. The happy part was it included 2 cups of apple cider vinegar, letting me use up most of the huge bottle sitting in the refrigerator ever since I read you should drink a TBL a day. That lasted for 2 days.

First you cut up whole unpeeled apples (another bonus: uses the pectin plus I'm lazy) and simmer for 20 minutes in water and vinegar, turning my kitchen into the Steam Room From Hell. Then you process it manually through a chinois (so much for lazy) and continue to reduce it on the stove top. I wanted to try out my obscenely heavy crockpot and so the pureed apples has been cooking since last night.

But when I went to add the sugar and spices, I decided against the large amount in the first recipe and went online looking for another. That's when I noticed that none of the other high ranking recipes used apple cider vinegar. Mine tastes bite-y (the way I remember apple butter tasting) so what's the deal?

Also, this has been going on since 6:00 PM last night. Now I know what people did before Netflix.

https://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/apple_butter/

 
Weird - vinegar and water must be used in place of cider

For the same 4# of apples, Steve's recipe has only 1 cup of cider as the liquid and potentially 1/2 of the sugar. Colleen

Sweet & Chunky Spiced Apple Butter
recipe excerpted from The Complete Book of Year-Round Small-Batch Preserving. Makes seven or eight ½ pint jars.

2 lbs MCINTOSH APPLES, peeled and cored (6 large apples)
2 lbs GRANNY SMITH APPLES, peeled and cored (4 large apples)
1 cup APPLE CIDER
3 tsp GROUND CINNAMON
1 tsp GROUND ALLSPICE
½ tsp GROUND MACE
dash SALT

1 cup GRANULATED SUGAR
1 cup BROWN SUGAR
2 Tbsp LEMON JUICE

Chop apples into small dice in a food processor.

Combine apples, spices and cider in a large saucepot. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat and boil gently until mixture is reduced by half.

Stir in sugar and lemon juice, adjust spices to taste. Return to a boil, reduce heat, and boil gently for about 25 minutes or until mixture is very thick. (There may be some tender apple chunks remaining.) Remove from heat and puree to desired finish texture.

Ladle into sterilized jars and process as directed in a water bath.

https://finerkitchens.com/swap/forum/index.php?action=display&forumid=1&msgid=160659

 
Thank you for this, colleen. I'll make another batch following St. Steve's recipe. Mine is actually

okay. I had it over oatmeal this morning with some fresh apples and it was a nice combo. The tanginess from the cider vinegar gives a sharp little bit to the dish.

But I still have a load of apples to use up, so moving forward.

 
Steve's is good as well. No vinegar bite to it and the spices are milder w/o the cloves.

But I kind-of prefer the bite-y one because it reminds me more of my dad. He would bring home a jar from someone because my mother had no clue what it was.

I''ll probably use a jar of the cider vinegar version and one of his when I make the donation cake.

 
This is good to know! I wondered about the extra liquid at 3 cups vs 1

cup in cider version. Thinking it would require longer cook but I do like the flavor of cider vinegar with apples. Will use more spice and post results when I make our batch. Thanks for sharing. Colleen

 
Let me clarify a few things: Steve specified Granny Smith (very tart) and McIntosh (sweet meat

which turns to mush immediately, making it perfect for applesauce). I have NO CLUE what I used as I hand-collected various heritage apples from the orchard. However, I'm pretty sure none of them are McIntosh because I grew up with those at home and would recognize that shape, dark red skin and white meat anywhere.

I was concerned that the apples would dry out (since they weren't melting like McIntosh do) and knew I could evaporate any excess liquid at the second cooking so I ended up adding more apple cider during the initial cooking phase....possibly another 1/2 to 3/4 cup.

I buzzed the finished produce with a stick blender and ended up with five 1-cup jars (water processed) and almost another cup in the refrigerator for me to enjoy now.

I'm sure if you follow Steve's recipe exactly re: type of apple, you'll end up with perfect results. But even adjusting it worked out fine for me.

 
Winging it with Galas, along with some Honeycrisp and Pink Ladies -

hopefully this weekend. Couldn't refuse 3# bags of Galas for $1.30. Colleen

 
When I make apple butter in the crockpot I lift the lid by slipping a knife between lid and pot.

Do this after cooking a few hours when it turns good and mushy.cook another few hours or even overnight for a big pot. It thickens and deepens in color nicely

 
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