Oh c’mon now…you didn’t really think that after getting 10 pounds of cherries in the mail that I would hand you a recipe for Roasted Cherry Barbecue Sauce and that would be the end of it?
No, no, no. If I’m going to be up to my eyeballs in cherries, then you are going to be up to at least your…knees (thought I was going to say a different body part, didn’t ya? Get your minds out of the gutter…) in cherry recipes. And believe me, you want to be up to your knees in this Apple Cherry Butter.
I loooooooove apple butter. When I was a little girl, we lived near a restaurant in Indiana called The Beef House. My grandparents would frequently drive over to see us just so we could all go to dinner at The Beef House. As the name would suggest, they have great steaks, but what they are really known for (at least among our family) is their rolls. They serve them alongside strawberry jam and apple butter, and as a little girl one of my favorite things was slathering those light-as-air rolls in butter and piling it high with apple butter.
Sorry, I just had to wipe some drool off my keyboard. Let’s continue.
Until making this recipe, I had never made fruit butter at home before, but let me tell you: it won’t be the last time. It is so easy! You could even do this in the crockpot if you wanted, though I suspect it would take about 98903247230 hours, so I just did it on the stovetop and was rewarded with two quarts of deep reddish-pink Apple Cherry Butter within two hours.
Also, can we please discuss how this stuff is pretty much all fruit? Which makes it totally good for you and thus also makes those biscuits in my photos good for you? (Ok, maybe not that last part.) I simmered my apples and cherries in unfiltered apple juice, which helped to naturally sweeten the butter and cut down on the need for much additional sugar. The entire two quarts of butter only has 3/4 cup of sugar in it, which is really pretty excellent when you think about how much would be in a jar of jam.
Basically, this stuff is the bomb diggity. Wait, do people even say that anymore? Crap. Also, the word “diggity” always makes me think of this song. Which is now going on repeat.
What was I even talking about? Oh, right. Make this. You’ll love it. No diggity.
Apple Cherry Butter
Ingredients
Instructions
- Place the chopped apples, halved cherries, and apple juice in a large dutch oven. Bring to a low boil over medium-high heat and cook for 20-30 minutes, until apples are soft.
- Remove from heat and, using an immersion blender, blend until smooth. (If using a conventional blender or food processor, allow to cool slightly before blending - and always be careful when blending hot foods!)
- Return to heat. Add the sugar, cinnamon, and cloves. Bring to a simmer and cook, uncovered, until reduced and thickened. Mixture will reduce by between 1/4 and 1/3. As the mixture thickens, it may start to splatter quite a bit, so you may need to cover, but make sure to leave at least 1/2-inch opening to allow steam to escape. This whole process will probably take about 1 hour.
- Allow the butter to cool, then jar and store in the refrigerator.
Notes
My tummy just growled thinking about this on our biscuits. Seriously. I wish I had some for breakfast. Or, right now would work, too. Please bring me some. The end.
I adore fruit butter too! I’ve made pumpkin butter at home before & thoroughly enjoyed it, especially the way my kitchen smelled!! I’m looking forward to trying this out!
It seriously makes your whole kitchen smell SO GOOD! I want a candle that smells JUST LIKE that so I can sit and sniff it forever. (Sorry if that just got weird)
I love apple butter, but it makes me sad because it means summer is practically over! Mixing it with the fresh cherries is like grasping on to summer a little longer. And I love it! Diggity!
Yes, but apple picking is ahead of us! And I bet you can totally use your pregnancy to your advantage to get Mike apple picking this year. We just have to figure out your strategy.
Can I store these longer than just to refrigerate?
OMG your biscuits look SO GOOD. I love a good fluffy biscuit. And this jam looks really tasty as well. Cherries and apples are my favorite fruits! 🙂
Thanks! I’m not going to lie, my biscuits might just be the reason my boyfriend is dating me (and that wasn’t code for anything!) (did that just get weird?). Anyway, I haven’t posted a recipe yet, but I think I might have to soon – you can’t go wrong with a fluffy biscuit topped with apple butter. 🙂
Oh I love apple butter too! When I was little my Mammy used to hand me a dish of apple butter, a box of Better Cheddars (do they even make those anymore?), and a butter knife to keep me occupied. I loved making my own little apple butter cheddar cracker sandwiches lol. I think this post just convinced me I really need to buy a cherry pitter!
Ann, I just love that story! What a fun memory. And yes – the cherry pitter is WELL worth the small investment! Pays for itself in time and ease of frustration alone!
Mmm, I love apple butter but I bed the addition of cherries would make it out of this world!
It should be tasty breakfast. That i must try.
Don’t really care for apple butter but love cherries so will try. Wonder about using tart cherries instead??
I can’t say exactly since I used the sweet ones, but I would guess they would require you to use more sugar. Add a bit at a time and taste until it seems good to you! 🙂
I used tart cherries and no sugar or spices and it was amazing. Tasted super fresh and delicious.
couple questions. wanna can this recipe, can i can this as is? Also i will be using a victoro food processer so would i still need to slice and cook the apples?
Hi Jason – I am not a “canner” so I can’t answer the question re: canning. I would take a look at some other apple butter canning recipes and maybe do a bit of a combo based on what they recommend in terms of acid, etc.
You would still need to cook the apples before processing them. They’ll naturally break down a lot when you cook them, so you don’t need to worry too much about getting small pieces. Chunks will work just fine!
Unfortunately, the cinnamon overwhelmed my cherry flavor and all I got was apple butter flavor. It was still good, but wish it was more cherry.