Food Recipes Sauces, Condiments and Preserves Jams Baked Bourbon-Apple Butter 4.0 (2) 5 Reviews There’s no better way to spend a chilly fall weekend afternoon than by making this nearly effortless apple butter. A bounty of sweet apples bake down into a rich, spreadable treat that’s infused with the warming notes of cinnamon, ginger, and bourbon. Check the refrigerated section of your produce department for pure apple cider without any preservatives or extra sugar to guarantee the best flavor. If you can bear to part with it, this apple butter makes an excellent gift; but once you try it on hot buttered biscuits or toast, you’ll find it hard to part with a jar. By Paige Grandjean Paige Grandjean Paige Grandjean is a food editor, recipe developer, and food stylist with over seven years of experience in food media. Her work has appeared in more than 15 nationally distributed publications, award-winning cookbooks, and digital platforms. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Updated on July 20, 2023 Tested by Food & Wine Test Kitchen Tested by Food & Wine Test Kitchen Recipes published by Food & Wine are rigorously tested by the culinary professionals at the Dotdash Meredith Food Studios in order to empower home cooks to enjoy being in the kitchen and preparing meals they will love. Our expert culinary team tests and retests each recipe using equipment and ingredients found in home kitchens to ensure that every recipe is delicious and works for cooks at home every single time. Meet the Food & Wine Test Kitchen Save Rate PRINT Share Close Photo: Caitlin Bensel Active Time: 20 mins Total Time: 8 hrs 30 mins Yield: 3 cups Cook Mode (Keep screen awake) Ingredients 3 pounds Braeburn or Fuji apples (about 7 medium apples), peeled, cored, and cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 10 cups) 4 cups fresh (100% apple) unsweetened apple cider 1/2 cup granulated sugar 1/3 cup (2 2/3 ounces) bourbon 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice Directions Preheat oven to 300°F. Stir together apples, apple cider, sugar, bourbon, cinnamon, salt, and ginger in a high-sided 10-inch stainless steel skillet. Bring to a boil over medium-high. Cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until apples are very soft, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat. Using an immersion blender, process apple mixture until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. (Carefully tilt the skillet to one side, if needed, to prevent splattering.) Scrape down sides of skillet with a rubber spatula. Transfer skillet to preheated oven. Bake, uncovered, stirring every 30 minutes, until mixture is very thick, glossy, and reduced to about 3 cups, 3 hours to 3 hours and 30 minutes. Stir in lemon juice, and let cool at room temperature 1 hour. Cover and chill at least 4 hours or up to 2 weeks. Rate It Print