Yum

I canned a batch of apple butter a week or two ago, and the result is so good, I want to share the recipe. It made 12 half-pint jars for me. All that is needed is a 5 minute dunk in a waterbath canner, so this is not difficult to can. I am planning on giving this out as Christmas gifts...

Appalachian Apple Butter

6 lbs unpeeled granny smith apples, cored and cut into eights
3 C apple cider
3 C firmly packed brown sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp salt

In a large stainless steel pot, combine apples and cider. Boil reduce heat and cover. Simmer til apples are mushy, about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Drain liquid and puree. I used an immersible hand blender for this part, but you could use a food processor or normal blender. Make sure your blending obliterates all of the peels. In a clean pot, add the pureed apples the brown sugar, spices and salt. Stir well and simmer over very low heat, uncovered til quit thick, about 1 1/2 hours, stirring often. Remove from heat and ladle into hot jars. wipe rims, seal with two part lids and process in a water bath for 5 minutes each batch.

The recipe says to wait a month before eating, but we opened them right away. It was still really yummy but next jar it had been about 2 weeks and it definitely tasted better so I recommend waiting!