Make Your Own Fruit Butter Recipes – Mother Earth News

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Step 1

Wash and chop fruit, removing pits. Peel the fruit if you wish, but it is not necessary for most fruits – pumpkins would be an exception here.

Step 2

Add the chopped fruit to a large pot or Dutch oven. Add a little bit of water, just enough to keep the fruit from burning.

Step 3

Cook over medium heat until the fruit is soft. Remove from heat.

Step 4

Puree the cooked fruit using a blender or food processor. You can also push the fruit through a sieve or food mill if you wish, but I find this too much work.

Step 5

Measure the fruit puree and return it to the cooking pot.

Step 6

Add half as much sugar as puree. For example, if you have 8 cups of puree, add 4 cups of sugar.

Step 7

Cook over medium-low heat, stirring often until mixture starts to thicken.

Step 8

Add optional flavorings if desired. Flavorings can be adjusted to taste. Start with about 1 tsp of spices like cinnamon or ginger, or 1/2 tsp of extract like vanilla or almond, or 1 Tbsp of liqueur like brandy or Cognac, or 1/4 cup of wine or cider.

Step 9

Continue cooking and stirring until butter is thick and rounds up on a spoon.

Step 10

Fill clean 1/2 pint canning jars, leaving 1/4 inch headroom and using two-piece lids.

Step 11

Process in a water bath canner for 15 minutes. Fruit butter also may be frozen instead of processed. Pumpkin, winter squash, or other vegetable butters MUST be frozen instead of processed.

Step 12

They can take a long time to cook, up to an hour or more.

Step 13

They must be stirred often to prevent scorching.

Step 14

Preserves – chopped fruit pieces preserved in sugar and cooked until gelling point

Step 15

Alternatively, the fruit puree can be cooked in the oven instead of on the stovetop. At step 6 above, pour the puree-sugar mixture into a shallow baking dish. Place in the oven and set the temperature at 275 degrees. Stir the mixture occasionally, adding optional during the final 1/2 hour. Fruit butters cooked in the oven may take as little as one hour to thicken, or as long as 6 hours, depending upon the fruit used. Once thickened, pick up and follow the above directions at step 10.