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Beurrée d’nièr beurre black butter on bread. Apple butter is a highly concentrated form of apple sauce produced by long, slow cooking of apples with cider or water to a point where the sugar in the apples caramelizes, turning the apple butter a deep brown. Sometimes seasoned with cinnamon, clove, and other spices, apple butter is usually spread on bread, used as a side dish, an ingredient in baked goods, or as a condiment. Vinegar or lemon juice is sometimes mixed in while cooking to provide a small amount of tartness to the usually sweet apple butter. In areas of the American South, the production of apple butter is a family event, due to the large amount of labor necessary to produce apple butter in large quantities. Traditionally, apple butter was prepared in large copper kettles outside. Large paddles were used to stir the apples, and family members would take turns stirring.
In Jersey, in the Channel Islands, apple butter is known as black butter or lé nièr beurre and includes liquorice as an ingredient. In Northern Ireland it is now produced under the name “Irish Black Butter” in Co. In Japan, apple butter often contains actual butter and is considerably lighter in color, typically a shade of yellow. It is used as a spread on toast or as a filling in baked buns, and may have a mashed texture with small apple chunks, similar to the red bean paste filling used in anpan. Apple butter can be used as a fat substitute in reduced-fat or fat-free cooking, as well as vegan recipes. Soft apples are usually used to make apple butter. Different types of apples can be used for the production of apple butter.
Soft apples are often chosen for the production of apple butter because they can be broken down more easily and faster when cooked. Some of these apples are pressed into fresh apple cider, while the rest are peeled and cored, then wholly steamed and cooked into apple puree. The freshly pressed apple cider and cooked apple puree are added to a large steam vat. Small amounts of sodium bicarbonate are added to the mixture in order to reduce acidity and help bring out sweetness from the natural fructose available in the apples. Apple butter is typically packaged in the same way whether it is prepared in a factory setting or made at home. It can be packaged mechanically in jars or cans through the use of machinery. Apple butter is a product created as a means of preserving apples.