Bourbon Apple Butter, i.e. long-cooked apple jam with the addition of bourbon and cardamom

Is there butter in apple butter? What is apple butter anyway? In fact, apple butter does not contain butter, and the name "butter" refers to the thick, spreadable consistency. We cook the fruit for a long time and slowly, thanks to which the fruit sugars caramelize, thicken and change color to dark brown. Then mix everything and get a thick, smooth and velvety apple mousse. Apple butter is ideal for spreading toast, pancakes, it can be an addition to oatmeal, cocktails, cakes.

I prepared my apple butter with the addition of bourbon, juice and grated orange peel and cardamom. For the preparation of butter, I recommend using whole green cardamom seeds. Cardamom is one of the most expensive spices in the world after saffron and vanilla. A few small grains of cardamom thrown into boiling apples will add a pleasant sharpness and freshness. I always try to buy whole (unground) cardamom, where the seeds are hidden in green capsules.

INGREDIENTS

• 3 kg of apples
• 200 ml of water
• 150 ml of Bourbon whiskey
• 200 g of dark Muscovado cane sugar - Dark Muscovado
• juice and grated zest of 1 large orange
• seed from 3 - 4 capsules of green cardamom
• a pinch of salt

EXECUTION

1. Peel the apples (or not, I didn't peel mine), cut out the cores and cut into pieces.
2. Put the fruit into a pot with a thick bottom, add water, bourbon, muskovado sugar, cardamom , a pinch of salt, and orange juice and zest.
3. Slow cook, uncovered, for about 2 - 3 hours.
4. Stir from time to time, making sure that the apples do not stick to the bottom of the pot.
5. Let it cool down, cover it and repeat the cooking the next day.
6. If we find that the apple jam is not thick enough, we cook it longer or repeat the cooking on the third day.
7. At the end of cooking, blend the apples into a smooth and silky mousse.
8. Cook the blended apple butter for a while until it becomes thick.
9. Put hot apple butter into sterilized jars and pasteurise.

How to make apple butter in a slow cooker

1. Peel the apples (or not, I didn't peel mine), cut out the cores and cut them into pieces.
2. Put the fruit into the slow cooker bowl, add water, bourbon, muskovado sugar, cardamom, a pinch of salt and orange juice and zest.
3. We set the Low option and the cooking time to 10 hours.
4. After 3 hours, slightly open the lid (I put a wooden spoon between the lid and the dish) and continue cooking.
5. After 10 hours, turn off the slow cooker, lift or uncover the lid and cool, preferably to the next day.
6. On the second day, we set the Low option and the cooking time to 6 hours.
7. Cook with the lid ajar and stir every 2 hours, making sure that the mass does not stick to the bottom of the dish.
8. At the end, mix the fruit and cook for about 2 hours with the Low option, until the apple mass is thick.
9. Put hot apple butter into sterilized jars and pasteurise.

I also recommend
Marmolada lemon from the slow cooker
Slow cooker plum jam

also check

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