Bloggers on Instagram and Pinterest complain that maple apple butter isn’t photogenic. They’re right.
When windfall apples are all over your yard and you have a gallon of maple syrup in the pantry, you make Maple Apple Butter. The long caramelization plus the mystery spice (it’s cardamon) produce a grown-up cousin to applesauce. Spread it on biscuits or pancakes or toast, or put out a ramekin with a cheese plate. Makes one cup, but the recipe is very extensible (we ended up with 5 pints).
An example of our funky windfall apples
2 c apples, washed and quartered but not peeled or cored
1/4 c water
2 T maple syrup (Grade B preferred)
1 t ground cinnamon
1/2 t cider vinegar (more or less, depending on tartness of apples)
1/2 t vanilla extract
1/4 c cardamon
Method: inspect the apples and remove any wormy or brown or funky sections with a paring knife, leaving the cores and peels intact as much as possible. Transfer to saucepan with a small amount of water (to prevent sticking/burning) and cook over very low heat until apples turn into applesauce, about 1-2 hours. Cool to handling temperature and press the cooked apples through a food mill* or chinoise to remove stems, cores and seeds. Return this very pure applesauce to extremely low heat (a crockpot would probably be good for this) and add remaining ingredients. Cook uncovered for 3 hours or more, until the product has darkened considerably and will stay on a spoon rather than dripping off. Store in refrigerator for a few weeks, or preserve using your preferred method.
Maple apple butter before (foreground) and after reducing/caramelizing
*If you have been looking for an excuse to buy a food mill, here it is. A chinoise will do just as good a job, but with a lot more elbow grease.
