Homemade Molasses Apple Butter, Cookies and Puree
The previous recipe I shared was for my Homemade Maple Apple Cider. If you remember I suggested you reserved the leftover apple pulp from the cider. In today’s recipe I will show you three more recipes you can get from that same apple pulp.
In case you missed the cider recipe and post I wrote that from one 2 kilo or 4.4 lb bag of apples I was able to make baked apples, apple cider, apple puree/sauce, apple butter, and apple cookies. With the exception of the baked apples nearly everything that came inside of that bag of apples was consumed. The only things discarded were the apple seeds and stems, I’m not kidding. It wasn’t an intentional thing it just happened that way. Actually I’m quite proud of myself for not being wasteful. So today I will share the remaining foods created from the leftover pulp from the apple cider.
As the apple pulp was straining from the cider I couldn’t help but be enticed by the sweet scents coming from it. I grabbed a spoon and took a taste, then thought to myself it would be such a waste to throw it out. So I decided to puree it, minus the cinnamon stick of course, to make a tasty apple puree.
Apple Puree or Sauce Made With Remaining Apple Cider Pulp:
Place all of the pulp, and skins (if you left them on) into a blender. Discard the cinnamon stick. Puree the pulp,skins into a smooth sauce. Taste and adjust if you like.
After I had pureed the apple pulp I got to thinking what if instead I made apple butter? So I made apple butter and this is how.
Molasses Apple Butter
apple pulp from apple cider or homemade puree = 2 3/4 cups or 450 grams
1 cinnamon stick
1 tsp. ground cinnamon powder, optional for extra flavor
1/2 tbsp. Molasses
1 tbsp. light brown sugar
1. Place the reserved apple pulp in a blender, process until the pulp and skins have completely broken down. Pour into a pot, then add the cinnamon stick, ground cinnamon, molasses and brown sugar. Stir until well combined.
2. Under low heat allow to simmer for 11/2 hours or until the mixture turns into a darker thicker consistency. Taste and adjust if needed. Remove and discard cinnamon stick. Store the apple butter in a airtight container inside the refrigerator. Consume within 1 week.
Apple butter tastes great ontop of Czech Vanocka christmas bread. It is similar to Polish Chalka and Jewish Challah. If you have any leftover apple butter you will want to save it for the recipe below.
Then after a couple of days of eating apple butter I was craving oatmeal cookies. I got the idea why not use the apple butter to make the cookies. So I did.
Fluffy Molasses Apple Butter Cookies
makes 10 small cookies
1/2 cup or 100 g apple butter (used my homemade above)
1 tbsp. or 10g butter
11/2 cup ( 170 g) a.p. flour
3 tbsp. rolled oats
2 tbsp. light brown sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1. Preheat oven to 180c or 350f and line a cookie sheet. Melt the butter and set aside. In a large bowl combine the flour, oats, ground cinnamon until well combined. Next add the apple butter and melted butter, mix until well combined.
2. Drop 1 tbsp. of cookie batter onto cookie sheet, evenly spread out. Bake in center of above for 10-15 minutes. Allow to cool before eating.
I think everything turned out quite good but the cookies could use improvements. Like I’ve said before baking is not my forte so it’s a recipe I will work on. Regardless it’s pretty cool seeing 2 kilos of apples being transformed from one thing to another with pretty darn good results. So next time I get a craving for homemade apple cider there will be extra apple goodies to look forward to.
Have any of you ever done anything (crazy) like this before? Or am I just crazy? Wait don’t answer the last question.
Way to be resourceful Nancy!
Thank you Sandra!
I have never done the overload purchase on a certain fruit, but I can see here how it motivates you to be creative in the kitchen. You have made some wonderful things with those apples and had you not been overloaded we would have never seen these recipes. The apple effort is appreciated, thanks for sharing.
Hi Tina, You have better control than I do :) Thank you !
My son will love this, he just loves apple butter but with molasses what a kicked up flavor nice job!
Thanks Claudia :)
Loved the second snapshot!
Thanks Shri!
Oh my — apple butter and molasses! What a perfect and genius combination. Those cookies look like great treats to bring to a pot luck or holiday gathering too. Thanks for all the goodness!
Thank you Lauren!
Wow. What a progression. You really needed to put a picture of the apples first because this just kept getting better and better as I read on. I loved seeing how you moved from one recipe to another, using the bits and pieces remaining or created. Absolutely outstanding.
And the cookies; way big yum. They look like autumn.
Thank you :)
Apple Butter and Cookies… you’re a busy lady! Beautiful recipes and pictures. : ) I realize now that I have never worked with molasses. I have so much to try….
Hi Ramona, You should really try molasses. It’s something I love both to eat and cook with.
I’m still so curious to try out these butters – apple, pumpkin, almond… all I’ve tried so far are peanut (not for me) and hot pepper (delicious, but more jam-like). I love the pictures!
The only one of those I haven’t tried is pumpkin butter. I find it so funny that Europeans at first or perhaps never get used to peanut butter. Thanks Kiri!
How many wonderful ways to utilize that brilliant apple butter – so naturally sweet. Mmm.
Thank Belinda!
Woooow! This is all to die for! You go girl :)
Thanks Emily!
wow, didn’t know you can transform apple into butter!
Well not real butter :)
ingenious use of apples – I can’t believe you made ALL of that lot out of just one bag !
Amazing
Thanks Sarah-Jane!
Love this post! I am a devotee of apple cider molasses, a type of molasses that is made in an artisan way in some areas in the Lebanese mountains and was so happy to discover a farm in upstate New York that actually produces it from apple cider. Apples are my favorite fruits and I will bookmark your post for future reference; just made some apple muffins today using applesauce and molasses.
Wow, really? I’ll have to research Lebanese apple molasses then. Thanks!
That apple butter looks heavenly, especially on a piece of toast! YUM! And the cookies with a glass of milk sounds perfect right now! Great recipes, everything looks wonderful :)
Thank you Amalia!
So smart to make apple butter with your left over pulp! And then to make cookies too- so crafty. Everything looks great!
Thank you Lindsey!
What a fabulous post! All those flavors fused together sound delicious! This is why I love Autumn! :))
Gorgeous photos too! I have got to try that apple butter!
xoxo,
Tammy
Hi Tammy, Thank you :)
Not only does that look amazing – that is BRILLIANTLY resourceful! Stunning dish and photos – as always!
Thank you Ann :)
This looks like apple marmalade, I’m so doing it soon :)))
Love the photos, btw :)
Thank you Nadia :)
I hate wasting food and you came up with a clever idea.
Me too :) Thanks!
I am impressed that you were able to use all of those apples so thoroughly! I made apple butter last week but the compost heap (and the deer) got the peels and cores. :) I bet the molasses gives your apple butter a wonderful flavor!
Thank you Betty. Yes, I have to say that I loved the flavor from the molasses.
I am going to answer that…yes you are crazy, but that is why I love you so :) Wonderful use of your apples, and even if the cookies are not quite to what you wanted they look fantastic and the apple butter…oh my!
LOL!!! :) Thanks sweetie.