Apple butter is good any time, any day, any season. There’s just something about spreading that golden apple butter on bread, pancakes, biscuits, or anything else, or dipping fruit into it, that just defies description.

Many people make apple butter these days by starting with pre-made applesauce, and these batches are good. However, we like to start with fresh apples, and the tarter the better.  Here’s how we make our golden apple butter:

Ingredients for our apple butter:

• 4 pounds tart apples (we use Granny Smith apples)
• 2 cups apple cider
• 2 1/2 cups sugar (you can use Splenda)
• 1 cup Texas Pepper Jelly Apple Habanero (depending on how zesty you like it you can adjust the amount!)
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground cloves
• tiny pinch of allspice

How to create the best apple butter:

Stem, core, and quarter the apples. Do not peel them. (The peel is the best part!)

Put the apples and cider in a large slow cooker. Cover, and cook on low for ten hours.

Stir in the sugar, pepper jelly, and spices. Continue cooking for another hour.

Remove from heat and cool thoroughly. If you want a smooth apple butter, put it in your blender to mix in the peels. However, we enjoy the lumpy peels. You do you…do it the way your family prefers.

Serve immediately or refrigerate and keep for up to a week. We always keep out enough for several meals and freeze the rest; it freezes really well.

You can also can it. Pour it into hot sterilized jars and seal.

This apple butter is fantastic. Your family will never want any other kind. Apple butter people like it on just about everything. Craig’s personal favorite, though, is apple butter on hot homemade biscuits. The pepper jelly absolutely MAKES this apple butter.

Zesty apple butter is also good on ribs. Just throw the ribs into the crockpot with some of this apple butter and let them cook for about 8 hours on low. And BAM! Thank you, Emeril for this descriptive word!