APPLE BUTTER (OVEN ROASTED)

Steps:

• 1. Place apples and vinegar in large stainless stell pot with 2 cups water. Cover, and bring to a boil. reduce heat to medium, and cook 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until apples have applesauce-like consistency. Run mixture through food mill or press through sieve to separate pulp from skin and seeds; discard skin and seeds. transfer pulp (you should have about 5 cups) to large ovenproof dish or Dutch oven.
• 2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Stir remaining ingredients into apple pulp. Bake 2 to 2 1/2 hours, or until apple butter thickens to a spreadable consistency, stirring every 15 minutes.
• 3. Meanwhile, sterilize jars and lids. Submerge jars in large pot filled halfway with simmering water, and lids in a small pot of simmering water. Keep jars and lids in hot water until ready to use
• 4. Remove jars one at a time from hot water, and fill with jam, leaving 1/4-inch headspace. Seal with Remove jars one at a time from hot water, and fill with jam, leaving 1/4-inch headspace. Seal with lids. Place canning rack or cake rack in bottom of large pot, and return sealed jars to pot, adding extra water to cover jars by 1 inch, if necessary. Bring to a boil, and boil 10 minutes. Remove jars from water, and cool
• 5. We discovered the oven method quite by accident one My dad discovered the oven method accidentally one year. He was planning to make apple butter and my mom had the stove tied up. When it came time to make the apple butter - my father shoved the pulp in the oven and was delighted to discover how quickly it cooked. We never made it stove-top again