Apple butter is easy to make and so delicious. Add a bit of maple syrup and bourbon and this Maple Roasted Apple Butter with Bourbon is the BEST!

It’s Progressive Eats time! You might have noticed that we’re not actually doing a dinner like we did the first year (time; it does fly). We’re simply having each member choose a food in the month of their choice and it’s all about the recipes each of us devise for that food. This month Liz, who is the magic behind the blog ‘That Skinny Chick Can Bake,’ gave us this simple but absolutely delicious theme; it’s all about the apple and they are my favorite fall produce (take that pumpkin!).

Growing up I doubt we ever saw anything but Red Delicious Apples at our house so the changing times have been good. Those poor apples have been destroyed in my book and are only pretty to look at; it’s the newer versions that I love. The ones that are not as tart as Granny Smith but still hold together in a pie or other apple treat. Fuji, Jonagold, Honey Crisp and more; I love them all and I especially loved mixing together an assortment for this heavenly concoction. I wanted to make something I look forward to every year but this year I added something new? One guess only and you’re right…surprise, surprise it’s bourbon!

This Maple Roasted Apple Butter with Bourbon absolutely lived up to expectations. The pan roasting with maple syrup and bourbon softened and sweetened the apples in an amazing way. The addition of a bit of bourbon does what I expected and is so hard to describe. It definitely elevates the flavor but it’s not like this apple butter tastes like a cocktail for even I would probably turn my nose up at that. There is just something about bourbon that is just divine in baked goods so just fair warning…I’ve no intention of stopping! Maybe it’s time for a cookbook. Boozing It Up – A Guide to Bourbon EVERYTHING!

My original intent had been to buy some English Muffins for a photo since that seems to be a likely companion for apple butter but time got the best of me and I decided instead to make a simple quick bread. Oh my. I mean really OH. MY. The slightly spicy Apple Butter sweetened with Maple Syrup and Bourbon was good enough to eat off a spoon but slathered on this bread filled with apple chunks and toasted walnuts was another form of nirvana. I did a comparison and tried one slice with butter and one with apple butter. Can you imagine butter ever being boring? I know…seems impossible but it was true. The Apple Bread and Apple Butter were such a fantastic combination that I’m thinking of making them my holiday gift to friends. And then maybe just keeping it all for myself! (Not really!).

I’ll share the bread recipe with you next week; for now just get this made first OK? I did process and can my apple butter in jars but it’s not necessary, you just have to keep it refrigerated. How long before it goes bad? I don’t know, mine has never lasted beyond a couple of weeks! Also, do make sure you visit my friend’s websites after the recipe; they are so talented and have offered up an amazing array of wonderful apple dishes!

PIN IT! ‘Maple Roasted Apple Butter with Bourbon’

Yield: 40 oz (5 half pint jars) Maple Roasted Apple Butter with Bourbon Print Dress up plain apple butter by roasting the apples and adding some maple syrup and bourbon. Seriously the best! Prep Time 10 minutes Cook Time 1 hour Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes Ingredients For Roasting the Apples: 3 lbs Apples, cored and quarter (I left the skins on)

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1 tsp lemon juice

1/4 cup maple syrup

1/4 cup bourbon For the Apple Butter: Roasted Apples and pan drippings

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup maple syrup

2 Tbsp bourbon

1/4 to 1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp ginger

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp cloves

1/2 tsp salt Instructions Heat oven to 400 degrees. Lay apples in single layer on baking tray skin side down. Combine the cider vinegar, lemon juice, maple syrup and bourbon and drizzle over all of the apples. Put the pan into the oven and bake for approximately 30 minutes, basting with the drippings in the pan every 10 minutes. When apples are soft, remove from the oven and turn the oven off. Puree the apples in a food processor or blender. I like them blended pretty well but at least enough that the skin is no longer in identifiable chunks. To Finish the Apple Butter: Put the apples, water, maple syrup. bourbon, granulated sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves and salt into a large pan; heat on medium until bubbling. Reduce heat to low, cover and let simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. If apple butter seems too thick; add a bit more water. Ladle hot apple butter into a hot jar leaving a ¼ inch headspace. Remove air bubbles. Wipe jar rim. Center lid on jar and apply band, adjust to fingertip tight. Place jar in boiling water canner. Repeat until all jars are filled. Process jars 15 minutes, adjusting for altitude. Turn off heat, remove lid, let jars stand 5 minutes. Remove jars and cool 12-24 hours. Check lids for seal, they should not flex when center is pressed. If not canning, refrigerate and use within a couple of weeks. Notes Many recipes for apple butter indicate that the apples should be peeled but I prefer not peeling mine. Once the apples are put into a food processor or blender, they should be broken down enough you will never notice the peel but I do recommend this only if you use organic apples. If not using organic it's safer to remove the peels and proceed with the recipe as indicated. Nutrition Information: Yield: 20 Serving Size: 2 ounces

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 93 Total Fat: 0g Saturated Fat: 0g Trans Fat: 0g Unsaturated Fat: 0g Cholesterol: 0mg Sodium: 62mg Carbohydrates: 22g Fiber: 2g Sugar: 19g Protein: 0g The nutritional information is computer-generated and only an estimate.

Apple Recipes

Savory Dishes:

Sweet Dishes:

Welcome to Progressive Eats, our virtual version of a Progressive Dinner Party. This month’s theme is all about Apples and is hosted by Liz Berg who blogs at That Skinny Chick Can Bake. With Autumn’s arrival, it’s the perfect time to start using fall’s harvest in our menus. We have some great ideas this month to use apples in all sorts of dishes, from Appetizers to Dessert.

If you’re unfamiliar with the concept, a progressive dinner involves going from house to house, enjoying a different course at each location. We may share a meal on these pages or sometimes our best recipes for a theme but each month members share new recipes and old favorites and you can hop from blog to blog to check them out.