Apple Butter

One of the suggestions I got from a few people when I asked what to do with apples was apple butter. I had never heard of nor tried apple butter before so this was a little interesting. I took out the Bernardin preserves book and got to work.

Ingredients:
3 lb apples cored, peeled and chuncked(I used a mix of 3 or more varieties)
1 ½ cup water
¾ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp cloves
1 ½ cups sugar

Directions:
1. Put the 3lbs of apples and water into a pot. Simmer until the apples are softened.
2. Transfer the apples to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.
3. Combine the puree, cinnamon, sugar and cloves together in a pot and bring to a boil then turn down the heat (trust me, you do not want this boiling once it starts to thicken!)
4. Let simmer on the stove until thick and brown. It should be smooth and spreadable. This took me about 5 hours.

Reviews:
This is basically a thickened and reduced apple sauce. My jars are packed away in the pantry awaiting some pork later this fall. My mother got the pot scrapings which she ate on toast, and is now planning on making her own with some of her apples (we delivered over 40lbs to her).