Question about Apple Butter

[GardenGirl]

Hi all, been very busy and my computer imploded for a while, so I haven't been on in a while. Missed you all! I do have a quick question though:

How thick should Apple Butter be? I am currently making a batch and I quadrupled the recipe for Christmas baskets. It said I could quadrup[le it to make a large batch and just cook it for "several hours until thick." How thick is thick. Are we talking a good jam thickness or butter thickness. I was under the impression that it was a spread (atleast that is what I have gotten in the past from the farmer's market) and not a jam. But, will it thicken in the jar after canning?

*sigh* I know. Nothing like waiting 'till the last moment! :/

 

[Rosalind]

Spreadable, dark brown. If you smear a spoon across the top, it should hold its shape. Like stiff eggwhite meringue.

 

[GardenGirl]

Thank you so much for the quick reply. I think I'm almost at that point. Atleast, I hope I am. It's getting late and it's been cooking for 4 hours.

 

[patandchickens]

It won't thicken much of any in the jar, so what you see in the pot is more or less what you get. How thick is a matter of personal taste (and also a matter of how you want the applebutter to taste, since the more you cook it down the more the flavor changes). Just do what you like, really - the applebutter police are not going to come after you

Have fun,

Pat