Every fall one of my favorite afternoons is spent concocting my Brandy-Apple Butter.  The weather must have a certain bite in the air, the girls must all be napping and I must be in the mood - it is a magic moment when it all comes together!  This is a delicious, and easy recipe - jar it for friends and give to your host for all of those holiday parties coming up!  And its uses are practically endless - on toast or French toast, of course - but try it on baked chicken, thin down and use as a salad dressing, scoop it over vanilla ice cream, yum, yum, yum!

Recipe:  Brandy Apple Butter

~ 5 lbs. Jonathan apples {chopped/peeled or not - it is up to you}

~ 3 c. organic apple juice

~ 3 c. water

~ 1/2 c. brandy

~ 3 T. maple syrup

~ 1 1/2 c. sugar

~ pinch of salt

~ 2 T. cinnamon

~ 1/2 t. allspice

~ 1 t. cloves

In a large pot, combine water, juice and brandy - whisk together and heat over medium flame.  Meanwhile, chop your apples - add them to the pot and cover.  Cook for 30-45 minutes until the apples are very soft {skin is starting to pull from the flesh of the apple}.  Drain off excess juices {I like to reserve this for making apple-flavored cocktails!}.  With either a food mill or food processor, process the apples and maple syrup until you achieve a smooth consistency.  Return the apple butter to the pot and return the pot to the stove, again over a medium flame.  In a serparate bowl, combine all of your dry ingredients - whisk them together well - then whisk into the apple butter.  Cook covered for about 5 minutes - remove cover and cook additional 15-20 minutes or until thick.

 

I am not an expert at jarring, but my mother taught me a quick trick.  Have your jars washing in the dishwasher while you are making the apple butter - ensure it is running on the highest temp and sanitation rinse.  When the hot apple butter is ready to jar, remove the hot jars and lids from the wash.  Quickly fill them up to the top, ensuring there are no air pockets as you fill - place the lid on as quickly as you can.  As the apple butter and jar cool together, they will create a seal so that you can not pop the top of the lid - they are good to go for shelf storage!  If for some reason, you do not create a seal, the apple butter is still usable, just refrigerate and consume within 2-3 weeks.   

Comments

[bronwyn]

Hi there! This recipe looks great. May I ask where you got those jam jars? I love the red gingham. They look like the Bon Mamman jars. All I can ever find are the bell jars with the gold lids.

By the way, I make your gooey eggs all the time now. They are so good!

[jen]

Hi! They ARE Bonne Maman jars - good eye! We go through a lot of it in this house, so I save them for jarring/gift giving in the fall...

So glad you love the gooey eggs!

xo-jen

[Camryn Hite]

I am dying to see your thanksgiving!

[tracy]

i made some apple turnovers this morning...and was thinking the only way to enhance them is to put some apple butter in with the mix! Thanks for the recipe. I'm gonna have to try it :)

[bronwyn]

Thanks! I was hoping you bought them somewhere. Oh well. I'll just have to eat lots of jam!