Since I was a kid apple butter has been one of my favorite things. Don't know why it just is.

There is nothing like a fresh warm biscuit with some cool apple butter smothered on top. Yum SO GOOD!

Recently I was given a crate of apples and hey, since I have my Instant Pot, I decided to see what I could whip up with them. I like to keep things simple, (I'm a KISS kinda gal) so the hunt was on for a simple basic recipe. The recipe I found is as easy as it gets but of course I had to doctor it up a bit, because well, I don't do most things according to their actual directions.

We do our best to eat as healthy as possible but some recipes just taste better with all the stuff we're NOT supposed to eat so I decided to try the same recipe two different ways to see how it'd come out. The first batch was the traditional way - full of sugar and spice and everything nice, and the second batch was with honey and essential oils.

They both turned out very tasty but the one with the honey and essential oils is a bit more spicy. Next time I'll add just a toothpick dipped in the EO versus a drop of each. Start slow and add more as I feel the need.

Anyhow lets get to the recipe: I'm a 'wing it' type of cook so I tend to alter recipes as I go so some measurements may not be exact. Just have fun with it.

Basic Apple Butter Recipe

4 lbs apples (I used 12 apples)

2 Tbsp water

1 tsp Pumpkin All Spice (I used McCormick Pumpkin Spice) You can also make your own with the recipe below

2 Tbsp lemon juice (I used Realemon)

Cut apples leaving skin on. Discard the cores (or feed to the chickens for a snack).

Toss apples in the IP along with the water and pumpkin spice.

Set IP to Manual 15 minutes. Once cooking is complete allow IP to slow release for 15 minutes.

Release any additional pressure then stir in the lemon juice. Use a stick blender to blend the contents until smooth.

I don't have a stick blender so I allowed the apple butter to cool a bit and used a standard blender. The final product is a bit wet so I used a slotted spoon to add just the chunky portion to my blender leaving the juice behind as a tasty treat for myself. My apple butter isn't smooth like butta' but it tastes awesome!

Honey & EO Apple Butter Recipe

4 lbs apples (I used 12 apples)

1/2-3/4 cup honey

1 drop each Cinnamon Bark, Nutmeg and Ginger essential Oils

2 Tbsp lemon juice (do not used fresh squeezed as this serves as the preservative)

Cut apples leaving skin on. Discard the cores.

Toss apples in the IP and add the honey.

Set IP to Manual 15 minutes. Once cooking is complete allow IP to slow release for 15 minutes.

Release any additional pressure and stir in the lemon juice and essential oils. Use a blender to blend the contents until smooth.

Pumpkin Spice

2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cloves (not a must be clove is healthy so I throw it in there)
A pinch cardamom (not a fan? you can skip it)

Thoughts or questions about any of the above? Send me an email or leave a comment below.