Homemade Apple Butter

Mmmm, apple butter.  Believe it or not, it takes me back to a first grade school day when we made apple butter and corn bread with our "eighth grade buddies."  Since then, I've picked up jars and jars of it at farmers' markets during the fall.  A few days of cool fall weather gave me an apple butter craving, so I decided to make my own!  The key is patience; with time, the apples cook down into a beautiful, thick "butter."  I used Jonathan apples, which were pretty tart by themselves.  Obviously, your choice of apple might change the amount of sugar necessary to get the desired sweetness.

Ingredients:

• 5 cups apples, peeled and chopped
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

As you chop the apples, toss them in a bowl with the lemon juice and water to prevent browning.  In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, melt the butter and then add the apples (in lemon water), sugar, salt and spices.  Cover for 15 minutes to simmer; if the mixture is boiling, turn down the heat to low.  With a potato masher, mash the apples and continue to simmer without the lid for another 60 to 90 minutes.  Occasionally stir the apples and use the masher to obtain a smooth consistency.  You are looking for the apples to turn a caramel-brown color and very condensed.  To test whether it has cooked long enough, put a small dollop on a plate and wait 10 minutes.  If there is a pool of liquid that develops around the apple butter, it needs to cook longer in order to simmer out the excess liquid.  This is also a good time to taste for sweetness.  After the apple butter is ready, cool slightly before storing in a sealed jar in the refrigerator.  Personally, I think apple butter can go on anything--biscuits, pancakes, oatmeal, graham crackers, you name it.  Just pop it in the microwave to reheat.  Enjoy!