Our Famous Apple Butter - Sugar Free - cooking recipe

Ingredients

7 lbs red apples or 12 cups unsweetened applesauce
1 1/2 cups apple juice concentrate
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

Preparation

If you are using fresh apples, cook the apples with the apple juice concentrate and enough water to just cover the apples. Cook until the apples are tender. Puree the mixture in a blender and strain out all the seeds and skin. Stir in the spices.
If you are using unsweetened applesauce, stir the apple concentrate and spices into the unsweetened applesauce.
Preheat the oven to 375. Pour the apple mixture into a heavy baking pan and place it in the preheated oven. After the first hour of baking, stir the apple butter every 30 minutes, continuing for 5-6 hours, until the apple butter is done. It should be a rich, dark brown, and when a drop is placed on a cold plate, no water should separate out.
To can the apple butter for long term storage, spoon it into hot, sterilized half pint jars. Seal the jars and process them in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.