My grandmother made apple butter every fall with a full cup of sugar for every pound of apples. This version uses Splenda instead and four pounds of apples cooked slowly in apple cider until falling apart, then pressed through a food mill, mixed with cinnamon, allspice, and cloves, and simmered again until it mounds on a plate without spreading. The food mill step is the one you cannot skip. It is also the reason this tastes like something she would have made.
The food mill step is what separates apple butter from chunky applesauce. You cook the unpeeled quarters in cider until completely soft, then press them through the mill. The skins and cores stay behind and the pulp comes through smooth. The Sucralose goes in after milling, along with the spices.
Tips for Making Reduced Sugar Apple Butter
Cook the apples slowly over low heat
Four pounds of quartered, unpeeled apples in a large pot with one cup of apple cider. Low heat, stirring occasionally, until the apples are falling apart.
Do not peel or core the apples beforehand. The food mill separates the flesh from everything else. The skins add colour and pectin that help the butter thicken.
Test for doneness on a plate
Spoon a small amount onto a clean plate. If the butter mounds and no liquid separates around the edges, it is ready.
If liquid leaks from the edges, simmer longer. Apple butter that is not thick enough will be watery in the jar.
Reduced Sugar Apple Butter
Total Time: 80 minutes
Yield: Makes about 4 cups
Diet: Omnivore
Description
Homemade apple butter with less sugar.
Perfect for toast or as a sweet treat.
Ingredients
Units
- 4 lbs (2 kg) Apples
- 1 cups (240 ml) Apple Cider
- 0.5 cups (120 ml) Sucralose/Splenda
- 1 Tbl (15 ml) Ground Cinnamon
- 0.5 tsp (3 ml) Ground Allspice
- 0.25 tsp (2 ml) Ground Cloves
Instructions
- Wash apples well and remove stems. Cut apples into quarters or eighths and remove cores.
- Combine unpeeled apples and cider in an 8-quart (about 7 ½ litre) saucepan. Cook slowly over low heat, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking, until apples are very soft (falling apart).
- Position a food mill or strainer securely over a large bowl. Press cooked apples with cider through the food mill or strainer to make a pulp. Scrape any pulp clinging under the food mill into the bowl.
- Combine pulp with Sucralose and spices in an 8-quart (about 7 ½ litre) saucepan. Simmer over low heat, stirring frequently.
- To test for doneness, spoon a small quantity onto a clean plate; when the butter mounds on the plate without liquid separating around the edge of the butter, it is ready for processing. Alternatively, remove a spoonful of the cooked butter on a spoon and hold it away from steam for 2 minutes. It is done if the butter remains mounded on the spoon.
- Pour contents into desired storage container or multiple containers. Refrigerate up to 2 weeks, freeze up to a year, or home can for up to a year.
Notes
- For a smoother apple butter, use a food processor or immersion blender after milling.
- Adjust the spices to your preference; more cinnamon for a stronger flavor, less for a milder taste.
- To reduce cooking time, peel and core the apples before cooking; this will slightly increase the sweetness.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 60 minutes
Category: Side Dish
Method: Simmering
Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/4 cup
- Calories: 100
- Sugar: 15
- Sodium: 1
- Carbohydrates: 25
- Fiber: 2
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use regular sugar instead of Splenda?
Yes. Replace the half cup of Sucralose with half a cup of brown sugar or white sugar. The texture will be the same. The flavour will be slightly different because Sucralose and sugar taste differently at high concentrations.
What apples work best?
A mix of sweet and tart. Honeycrisp, Granny Smith, Fuji, or any combination. Softer apples cook down faster. Firmer apples take longer but have more pectin, which helps the butter set.
How should I store apple butter?
Refrigerate for up to two weeks in a sealed container. Freeze for up to a year. For shelf-stable storage, process in sterilised canning jars following standard water bath canning procedures.
If You Liked This Recipe, You’ll Love These
- Chunky Apple Coconut Cake
- A Thousand and One Nights Hibiscus Apple Pomegranate Tea
- Almond and Apple Shortbread Bars
- Almond Butter Baked Apples
The post Reduced Sugar Apple Butter appeared first on Honest Cooking and Travel.
