As the weather starts to change, you probably think about pumpkin spice. But around here at Happy Humblestead, we are an apple family. You can ask anyone here - apple cider beats pumpkin spice all. day. long!
Plus, apples are in abundance! When our produce is running low, I go to a local produce auction to build up our stores. This past week, I managed to score an entire bushel of winesap apples for $12. In case you've never had a winesap apple, they're prized for making cider because they're incredibly sweet and tangy. However, they also make an amazing apple butter, because you don't need to add much sugar. In fact, I actually made a batch of this without any sugar at all for a diabetic friend; they were so impressed that I'll probably be doing another batch here soon. Of course, if you want to add sugar, you certainly can!
As an added bonus: there's no better way to make your home smell like home than to infuse the air with warm cinnamon and apples! Even better, this recipe is mostly hands off. You can enjoy your homemade apple butter by the spoonful as a tasty treat, spread it on toast, muffins, pancakes, or a warm buttermilk biscuit. You can also enjoy it in savory dishes, like pork or latkes. The sky is really the limit! We also really enjoy it whipped up in an apple butter pie. If you've never tried one, you have to add it to your holiday rotation beside pumpkin pie. We love this recipe from Java Cupcake.
This recipe is designed to be simple. I'm not going to tell you to peel your apples, buy apple cider, or anything like that. We are roughly chopping them, tossing it all in, and forgetting it until we blend it up! You should have hands on time of less than 10 minutes, including jarring it all up.
Sugar Free Instant Pot Apple Butter
Ingredients:
5 lbs of winesap apples (or any other sweet and tangy variety)
1/2 cup of water (most recipes call for cider but most apples don't need the help)
1 tablespoon of cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon of cloves
1/4 cup of lemon juice (this helps the pectin in the apples set and acts as a preservative)
1/4 cup of honey or 1 cup of brown sugar if you want to add some sweetness
Instructions:
1. Start by washing your apples. Don't worry about quartering and coring them, we slice the edges off so that the core makes a little rectangle and minimizes chopping time. Each apple will be 4 slices, as you cut off each edge and leave the core in a rectangle.
2. Add the apples, water, lemon juice, and spices to your Instant Pot.
Secure the lid, making sure the vent is set to "sealing," and cook on high pressure for 45 minutes.
3. Once the cooking time is up, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes, then release any remaining pressure manually.
4. Use an immersion blender to puree the apples until smooth. If you don't have an immersion blender, you can also transfer the mixture to a blender or food processor. Add the sugar/honey at this point if you would like your apple butter sweeter. If your apple butter isn't as thick as you'd like, you can turn on the sauté function and simmer until it reaches your desired consistency.
5. Let the apple butter cool, then transfer it to jars or containers for storage. It will keep in the fridge for up to two weeks, you can freeze it for longer storage, or you can water bath can it!
Enjoy your homemade apple butter, and let us know how you like to use it in your meals! Also, if you like a very sweet apple butter, add the honey or the sugar. You can really make this one your own and adjust to your family's taste.
Note: If you plan to can this recipe, you must use the lemon juice. You can skip it if you are just keeping it in the fridge. Canning Bonus Instructions:
To make this apple butter shelf stable, you will just need to water bath can it. Fill jars and leave 1/2 inch headspace, then place in a water bath canner with water covering the jars. Bring pot to a rolling boil and allow to boil for 15 minutes. Turn off heat, and leave jars in the canner for 10 minutes. Then, remove and allow to sit on the counter undisturbed for 24 hours. Once the cooling time is up, remove your rings, test your seal, and label jars before storing them. Happy canning yall!
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