Apple butter (and 5 variations)

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Apple butter is applesauce’s deeply concentrated, intensely flavored cousin. It’s slow cooked and spreadable. Just know that it’s hard to go back to dreary commercial applesauce after tasting homemade apple butter. This is the kind of thing I tend to do when there is a surplus of apples. You need a lazy day, even better if there’s a storm, because you’re going to let your apples simmer on a burner for a while, then they’ll cook and concentrate in the oven for another hour or two. Your efforts will be rewarded with a liter (approximately) of incredible apple intensity.

Apple butter: how to use it

Apple butter is the kind of thing to enjoy neat, with a spoonful of oatmeal, or swirled in a bowl of yogurt. It’s also amazing on crepes, waffles and pancakes. But I really love using it as a filling for golden, flaky apple and cinnamon hand pies (link coming soon!), and I always reserve enough for this task.
Ingredients for apple butter on a kitchen counter

The technique

The way I make apple butter is older (and time consuming) than the stovetop-only versions. Similar to this mushroom ragù, starting the process on a stovetop then putting the apples in the oven after blending them. Your end result is much richer, more complex and more concentrated. It’s worth the extra time and your house will never smell better, I promise.
Apples cooked in a food processor

What kind of apples?

Honestly, I almost always end up using a mix of apple varieties. That’s my advice. Every time I use apple mixture, apple butter turns out better. Better flavor with more dimension. Definitely put sweet apples there. When you do, I find it unnecessary to add sugar to my apple butter, it is very sweet and well balanced. That said, if you taste along the way and your apples don’t develop the level of sweetness you’re looking for, add brown sugar, a few tablespoons at a time, until you’re happy with it.
Quartered apples stacked in a large pot

Peeled or unpeeled apples?

It’s a matter of personal preference. I tend to leave the peels on for their nutritional benefits and rustic feel. That said, if you like a silky, fancier apple butter, start with peeled apples. Then pass the mixed apples through a food mill.

Apple butter: variations

Cinnamon smoked apple butter: I love using smoked cinnamon in my apple butter. You use it in place of the more common royal or Vietnamese cinnamon. It’s quite strong, so start with 1 teaspoon, then wait to add more at the very end if you want a stronger flavor. I use smoked cinnamon from La Boîte.
Apple Cider Apple Butter: Use apple cider in place of the water called for in the recipe for a more concentrated apple flavor.
Pear and apple butter: Make a mixture of apples and pears following the same process. You can even add peeled quince.
Pink apple butter: Add a cup of cranberries (frozen is good) to the apples before simmering.

What else can I do with apple butter?

Mix it into the ice cream.
Make it a component on a cheese plate
This is a great sandwich spread if you’re going savory/sweet.
Fold into whipped cream cheese as a bagel topping.
Make a savory winter squash pie and drizzle with a little apple butter before baking.