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Apple butter is a spicier, thicker version of applesauce, traditionally made by simmering sliced apples in copper kettles for up to 12 hours with added spices. It can be used as a spread, dressing, or topping and was developed by Pennsylvania Dutch settlers to preserve apples during winter. Homemade versions are canned or sold at local markets, and it can be made in a slow cooker at home.
Apple butter is essentially a thicker, more spicy version of applesauce, traditionally made with sliced apples or simmered in copper kettles for up to 12 hours or more. The apples are constantly stirred with long paddles. The heat causes the natural sugars in the fruit to caramelize, thus giving apple butter its characteristic deep brown color.
The spicy flavor of this spread comes from the addition of traditional apple pie spices like nutmeg, cloves, and especially cinnamon. Commercially produced apple butter is usually available in grocery stores, but the traditional homemade variety is usually canned into jars for personal consumption or sold at local farmers’ markets, exhibitions, and craft festivals.
Apple butter is dairy-free, but derives its name from the buttery texture of the finished apple preserves. In fact, some people use it as a dressing or spread for sandwiches, the same way others might use mayonnaise or mustard. The preserves are said to be especially good on ham or pork sandwiches, as many traditional Dutch or Pennsylvania German recipes combine apples and pork-based meats. While it’s not specifically used as a spread, it’s also popular as a topping for pancakes, cookies, and buttered toast.
The apple butter tradition is thought to have been brought to the United States by Germans who settled in Pennsylvania. The so-called “Pennsylvania Dutch,” a corruption of German or German, were by nature very pragmatic and realized that they needed a way to preserve their food during the winter months. Since apples were plentiful during the fall season, they started preserving the fruit as apple jam or applesauce. However, canned applesauce didn’t have the shelf life he was hoping for, so a slow cooking process was developed. The extra cooking time turned the applesauce into a more stable product, and the added spices also aided in the preservation process.
Duplicating the traditional process of making apple butter in modern times has proved a challenge, however. Some historical societies and other traditionalists still hold sessions where they are made, using volunteers to take turns stirring the pots and also maintaining the fires to provide the heat. Decent apple preserves can also be made in an electric slow cooker at home. Applesauce blended to a very fine texture can be placed in a slow cooker along with the traditional cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves. This mixture should be left to reduce for at least 12 hours, with a slight gap in the lid to allow the steam to escape. Specific recipes for converting applesauce to butter can be found in a number of cookbooks and cooking websites.
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