Description
Ina Garten’s chunky apple butter reveals autumn’s warmth through caramelized apples and comforting spices. Rich homemade spread promises delightful moments with family and friends, inviting you to savor seasonal richness.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2½ lbs (1134 g) apples (1½ lbs (680 g) Granny Smith, 1 lb (454 g) crisp sweet red, such as Macoun or Empire)
- 1½ cups (360 ml) fresh apple cider
- 1 cup (220 g) light brown sugar, lightly packed
- 6 tbsps (85 g / 0.75 stick) unsalted butter
- 1½ tsps ground cinnamon
- ½ vanilla bean, split lengthwise
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
- ¼ tsp ground allspice
Instructions
- Caramelize Base: Melt butter and sugar in a medium Dutch oven over low heat, stirring gently until they harmonize into a golden, glossy foundation.
- Prepare Apples: Meticulously peel, core, and chunk apples into uniform pieces, ensuring consistent cooking and texture.
- Develop Flavor Profile: Combine apple chunks with cider, cinnamon, cloves, allspice, and vanilla bean, allowing ingredients to intermingle and create a rich, aromatic essence.
- Initial Cooking Phase: Bring mixture to a robust boil, then immediately reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes until apples soften and begin to break down.
- Reduction and Concentration: Uncover pot and continue simmering, letting liquid evaporate and apples transform into a deeply concentrated, caramelized mixture, stirring occasionally to prevent scorching.
- Texture Refinement: Remove vanilla bean and transfer contents to food processor, pulsing briefly to create a rustic, chunky purée that maintains subtle apple chunks.
- Storage and Serving: Transfer apple butter to a clean container, refrigerate for up to two weeks, and gently reheat before serving, enjoying either warm or at room temperature.
Notes
- Choose the Right Apples: Select firm, tart varieties like Granny Smith or Honeycrisp for robust flavor and ideal texture.
- Spice Balance Matters: Freshly ground warm spices intensify the apple butter’s depth and create a more complex taste profile.
- Patience Yields Perfection: Low and slow cooking breaks down apples naturally, developing rich caramelization without burning.
- Storage Strategy: Use sterilized glass jars for longer preservation and maintain refrigeration to keep apple butter fresh and safe.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 55 minutes
- Category: Breakfast, Snacks, Desserts
- Method: Simmering
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4
- Calories: 200
- Sugar: 32g
- Sodium: 5mg
- Fat: 4.5g
- Saturated Fat: 3g
- Unsaturated Fat: 1.5g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 42g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 0.5g
- Cholesterol: 15mg