Apple Butter Perfection

So after a miserable first attempt and a whole day of cooking, I made a second double batch of apple butter and after the day of cooking, got it right where I wanted it.

If it weren't for my mom and all the cooks that came before me in my family, I wouldn't be able to cook some of my favorite recipes.

So for all who don't have a good recipe, here's their recipe that is really not too difficult and quite yummy. I made a double batch and it yielded 13 1/2 pint jars of apple butter. Bonus: The house sure smells fabulous the whole day as the apple butter cooks:).

16 Apples - about 6lbs (I used Golden Delicious, but there are several good cooking apples you can use).
2 quarts water
1 ½ quarts apple cider
3 cups sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp allspice

Cut apples. Cook in water until soft. Run through food mill. Bring cider to boiling, add apples, sugar and spices.

There are two ways you can cook it after that:

Stove top:
Can cook at simmer on top of stove, stirring often until thick. Place in sterilized jars.

Oven:
Place in roasting pan and place in preheated oven at about 325. Cooking times will vary depending on the oven. Mine was about 6 1/2 hours, my mom said hers tends to be a few hours longer. Stir once every 45 minutes - more toward the end. Place in sterilized jars with about 1/2 inch room at the top when completed.

Tips:

~ When it begins to thicken, you can test to see if it is the correct thickness by sticking some in a small bowl or plate and cool it down to see how thick and spreadable it is. My first batch failed because I cooked it to a certain thickness in the oven and by the time it cooled, it was way too thick to spread.

~ After filling the jars, you can skip the water bath to seal it if you do this. Scoop it into the jars immediately, add a sealing lid and a rim and screw tight. Turn upside down on kitchen towel until cool. Generally the lid will seal from the heat.

It's a great recipe to cook when you are spending the day at home - especially when it's cool outside.

Thanks Mom!