23 Best Recipes that Use Apple Butter • Heartbeet Kitchen (2024)

FAQs

What is the best use of apple butter? ›

Use just like you would mustard or mayonnaise—or try it instead of jelly with your peanut butter. In any case, it's just as good on hot, toasty sandwiches as it is on cold ones. Stir some into your morning oatmeal. Or stir into plain yogurt or cottage cheese if you prefer.

*You can also preserve your apple butter via the water-bath canning method, which uses a canning pot. The recommending processing time is 10 minutes for pints and 15 minutes for quarts. Home-canned apple butter has a shelf life of about two years. Store in a cool, dark place.

But it makes all the difference. Applesauce is a fairly quick process, cooked apples run through a food mill. Apple butter is basically concentrated apple sauce, cooked down even more until it's thicker, silkier, and more intensely apple flavored. Like the difference between tomato sauce and tomato paste, essentially.

However, apple jam is thinner in consistency, lighter in color, and often includes bits of fruit, whereas apple butter is thicker, darker in color (thanks to caramelization) and blended until smooth. Apple jam sometimes includes seasonings, but apple butter always includes warming spices such as cinnamon or nutmeg.

Average shelf life unopened is 11 months. But after you open a jar, it is very important it is re-capped and refrigerated. It will last about a month in the refrigerator, but we usually finish out a jar in a couple of days. The same goes for any baked goods or cooked items made with apple butter.

Fresh apple butter will keep in the fridge for at least couple of weeks, if not longer. Sealed, water-bathed canned jars of apple butter will keep for years in the pantry (they're best used within a year, though). Once opened, they'll also keep for weeks in the refrigerator.

Once the apple butter has cooled and been placed into jars or airtight containers, store using the following guidelines: Refrigerator Storage – You can store the apple butter in the fridge for up to 1 month. Freezer Storage – You can store the apple butter in the freezer for up to 1 year.

During the slow cooking, the sugars that are naturally present in the apples caramelize into a deep, molasses-like flavor, and a dark color. This gives the apple butter its rich, sweet flavor and dark brown hue.

Apple butter is notorious for air bubbles, since it is so thick they don't rise to the surface as they would in a product that had liquid in it. The jars should be fine as long as it was processed properly and all the lids are sealed.

And if you are wondering if you can eat apple butter by itself? The answer is yes. A spoonful is quite delicious!

What is the point of apple butter? ›

Sometimes seasoned with cinnamon, clove, and other spices, apple butter is usually spread on bread, used as a side dish, an ingredient in baked goods, or as a condiment. Apple butter may also be used on sandwiches to add an interesting flavor, but is not as commonly used as in historical times.

While apple butter is undeniably delicious, it also offers some health benefits. Made from fresh, organic apples, it contains essential nutrients like dietary fiber, vitamins, and antioxidants. These components contribute to a healthy digestive system, support immune function, and promote overall well-being.

While both applesauce and apple butter are made by slow-cooking apples with water, spices, and maybe a little sugar until you have something soft and saucy, apple butter is cooked much longer so that the mix cooks down even further to become a thick, glossy, caramelized spread.

I've included the option to make the apple butter instead, which requires less time. And, like Erin, you can use that to ingeniously 'frost' a cake or just use it like you would any jam. Or you can cook it for even less time and make an applesauce. It's all the same—just a matter of preference, timing, and consistency.

Here, we want the fruit to fall apart. Chop, but don't peel or core them, since the skins amp up the apple flavor and the core adds pectin, which helps the apple butter set.

Other Interesting Facts Related to Apple Butter:

Copper pennies are placed in the apple butter kettle to scrape the bottom of the kettle and prevent the apple butter from burning. It was said that a young woman who splashed the butter when she stired the kettle would make a poor housewife.

While apple butter does contain some sugar, it is a healthier alternative to peanut butter, so long as you stick to the serving size. Apples not only help keep the doctor away, but also provide a lot of fiber that aids in digestion as well as vitamins B and C.

Fruit butters are sweet spreads made by cooking fruit pulp with sugar to a thick consistency. Their smooth, spreadable texture makes them an ideal substitute for butter on bread, toast, or muffins. Although apple butter may be the most well-known of the fruit butters, they may be made from any firm fruit.