Making and Canning Apple Butter

Since it's been fall for a little less than a month now, I figure it's high time I start making my house feel (and smell) like it.

I have been seeing so many recipes for apple butter lately.  I have never had it before but it looks so delicious that I was persuaded to make it myself.  Before starting I did some research on the best apples to use (Gold), what recipe was highly reviewed, and how to preserve the excess apple butter (ie: can) for later use.

I went out and bought 12 pint sized Kerr jars from Target for $7.99 for canning.  I also bought 2 dozen apples from the supermarket for my recipe (I already had all the other ingredients at home).

After reading the instructions for the Apple Butter recipe I modified it a bit:
-5 1/2 lbs. apples, (peeled, cored, and finely chopped)
-3 cups white sugar
-1 cup brown sugar
-Juice from one lemon
-1 tsp ground nutmeg
-2 tspns ground cinnamon
-1/4 tsp ground gloves
-1/4 tsp salt
(SIDE NOTE: My recipe filled two pint sized jars.  If you're using smaller jars (1/2 pints) then it would probably fill four.)

All of my supplies (minus the apples, they were already chopped
up and in the crockpot at this point).

I cut up my apples into extremely small pieces so they would break down easier during cooking.  While they were sitting in the crockpot I mixed together the sugar, lemon juice, nutmeg, cinnamon, ground cloves, and salt in my mixer.  Then, I combined the apples and the mixture in the crockpot and let it cook on high for an hour.

After an hour I set the crockpot on low and went to bed.  Ten hours later, this is what I woke up to.

Truthfully, I wanted to dig in right then and there.  But, it still needed to cook a little longer so I had to wait.

While I was waiting for the mix to thicken I put a few of the mason jars in the running dishwasher to keep them warm before I started the canning process.

After that I blended my apple butter because I didn't want mine chunky.

To make sure I preserved my food safely and correctly, I followed these instructions from Fresh Preserving.

The proper way to can apple butter is to leave half an inch of empty space at the top and to boil the can for 10 minutes.  I don't have the "proper canning equipment" so I just used what I had.

You can buy proper canning equipment here

This is the point in the project where all I can do is sit back and pray that everything works the way it is supposed to.  You have to give the cans 24 hours to cool down and set (which is the hardest part for me).

Make sure you hear a "pop" noise!  That
means the lids have sealed properly!

And, that's it!  If you have any questions or if something is unclear please leave a comment and I will get back to you as soon as I can!

Just a few quick tips:

• Some people have said that the recipe is too sweet.  I love sweet things so that isn't a problem for me, but if you are not a super sweet lover I'd suggest cutting down the white sugar by at least a cup.
• I constantly stirred the apples because I was afraid it would burn on the bottom.  I'm not sure if this is really necessary, but it worked for me!
• I left the mason jars in the dishwasher while the butter finished cooking to keep them warm!  Never put hot food in a room temperature jar before canning!  You take the chance of the jar cracking during the canning process.
• You do not have to can the apple butter!  You can freeze it or you can just put it in the fridge if you think you'll use it all right away.
• If you do decide to can your apple butter (a must if you're giving it as a gift to someone!) check how long you should boil it in the water.  The time differs based on the altitude.  
• Always, always, always use non metal tongs to pull the jars out of the boiling water!