From Heather: This was my Mamaw Bradford’s recipe for Red Hot Apple Butter. When I was younger, it was the one thing that I looked forward to the most in the fall. When she passed away, my mom took over the canning, and now I am teaching my daughters.
Thank you Heather for sharing this with me and the canning community!
![](https://www.sbcanning.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/applebutter-500x500.jpg)
Red Hot Apple Butter
It's such an amazing color and the cinnamon will be so good in the apple butter.
Ingredients
- 1/2 Bushel (24 lbs) Apples of your choice (we particularly like Gala or Jonathan)
- 2 1/2 cups Red Hot Candies
- 2 cups white sugar
- 1 1/2 cups water or apple juice
Instructions
- Peel, core, and slice the apples. Place in a large, heavy-bottomed, pan. Add the water or apple juice and cook on medium heat (with a lid) for approximately 2 hours, or until the apples are soft and start to fall apart.
- Add the sugar and stir. Continue to cook for another 30 minutes. Add the Red Hot Candies and stir to dissolve and incorporate.
- At this point you can use a stick blender (or a regular blender) to smooth it out if it's still a bit chunky.
- This is also when you decide if it is thick enough. If it is not thick enough, remove the lid and continue to cook until you reach the desired consistency.
- While it is still hot, ladle into hot, sterilized jars. Process in boiling water canner. 5 minutes for half pints and pints, 10 minutes for quarts (as per USDA recommendations).
- Yield will vary based on how thick you want the consistency.
One Comment
Sydney
Posted on: September 26, 2019Hey there! I was looking for my nanny’s apple butter recipe with red hots & this recipe came up! My nanny’s maiden last name was Bradford so this was bitter sweet to see! Thank you