Canning 101: Fruit Butter (Recipe:Rhubarb-Pear Butter) (2024)

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Every summer I gravitate toward making fruit butters instead of jam. Don’t get me wrong, I love jam, but the sugar-free, pectin-free, concentrated flavor of a fruit spread has a greater draw.

Despite the warm days, I’ll let a pot of ripe fruit simmer down to a sticky and sweet mess on the stove, pair it with a spice just for fun, add a natural sweetener if needed and jar it up for winter.

It’s the perfect way to capture the essence of summer and store it on my pantry shelves.

So, what IS a fruit butter anyway?

Jam expert Marisa McClellan gives this description in a recent Q & A on making butters:

“A fruit butter is named as such because it mimics the smooth spreadability of softened butter. It is cooked low and slow for a number of hours, in order to evaporate the excess liquid, concentrate the fruit flavors and intensify the innate sweetness in the fruit. Thanks to this concentration, it typically contains a minimal amount of additional sweetener.”

Tips for the best fruit butters:

Making butter simpler than you think, in fact, it’s a lot like making baby food! Here are a few tips to guarantee success for your first batch:

  • Use very ripe fruit for maximum sweetness.
  • Stay close-by. Butters require some babysitting, so bring a book, or some peas to shell.
  • Don’t rush it. The longer the butter cooks, the more it will reduce and the more concentrated the flavor will be.
  • With the absence of sugar, fruit butters don’t last quite as long as jam, so plan to use them up before spring for maximum enjoyment. Better yet, top the jars with a bow and give them away as Christmas gifts. Be sure to label them with a best before date.

Rhubarb-Pear Butter

This rhubarb-pear butter recipes was quite accidental in it’s evolution. I was actually making baby food with some way-overripe pears I had around. At some point I decided to toss in a bag of frozen diced rhubarb from the freezer, a blob of honey, and it turned into fruit butter.

Good thing I did, because it was my favorite spread that summer and remains one of my top flavor combination. The super sweet pears complement the tart rhubarb perfectly and a little dash of spices ( I used cardamom, but cinnamon would be lovely, too) turns the butter into something quite decadent.

My favorite way to enjoy this butter is slathered onto a warm scone, but my sons may disagree; they love it stirred into yogurt.

Recipe: Pear-Rhubarb Butter

Makes 6- 250ml jars

  • 1 full 6-quart pot of pears, washed, quartered, stems removed
  • ½ cup apple juice or water
  1. Cook pears and juice in a covered pot over medium heat until they are mushy, stirring occasionally. Pass through food mill or medium-fine sieve.
  2. Return puree to pot (should be about about 6 cups)

Then Add:

  • 6 cups chopped rhubarb, fresh or frozen.
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ½ cup honey or pure maple syrup
  • 1 teaspoon fresh green cardamom seeds, ground OR 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)
  1. Cook on low for about 2 hours, stirring often. Butter will thicken and coat the back of a spoon.
  2. Taste for desired sweetness and add more honey if desired.

Meanwhile, prepare to can the butter.

Canning

  1. Bring a large pot of water to a simmer. Sterilize 6 250ml jars according to our post on Canning 101: The Basics.
  2. Keep the metal lids in hot water until ready to use.
  3. Ladle the pear butter into hot jars, using a funnel to guide it in. Careful! It’s very hot.
  4. Place a metal lid on the jar and screw the ring on tightly. Repeat with remaining jars.

Processing

  1. When all the jars have been filled, lower them one by one into the pot of hot water. Water should cover the jars.
  2. Bring water to a boil and boil for 10 minutes.
  3. Turn off water. Working carefully, using a jar lifter, remove jars from water and place on a clean dry towel. Allow to sit undisturbed for 24 hours.
  4. Store in a cool, dry place for up to 9 months.

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Jam or Fruit Butter? Do you have a preference?

Canning 101: Fruit Butter (Recipe:Rhubarb-Pear Butter) (3)

Aimee

Cooking has always been Aimée's preferred recreational activity, creative outlet, and source of relaxation. After nearly ten years in the professional cooking industry, she went from restaurant to RSS by trading her tongs and clogs for cookie cutters and a laptop, serving as editor here at Simple Bites. Her first book, Brown Eggs and Jam Jars - Family Recipes from the Kitchen of Simple Bites, was published in February 2015.

Canning 101: Fruit Butter (Recipe:Rhubarb-Pear Butter) (2024)

FAQs

How do you know when fruit butter is done? ›

To test doneness, put a spoonful of fruit butter on a plate. If no liquid seeps from the edges, it's done. Return to a simmer to thicken more if necessary. For very smooth fruit butter, puree in a food processor or blender, then strain and push the mixture through a sieve before storing.

Can fruit butters be canned? ›

Processing: Pack cooked butters immediately into hot jars leaving ¼ inch headspace. Adjust lids and process in a boiling water canner for 10 minutes. When cool, test seal, remove bands, and store in a cool place. Butters can also be frozen or stored for short periods of time in the refrigerator.

How do you preserve fruit butter? ›

The butter is poured into sterilised, warm jars and covered with an airtight seal. As this is a low sugar preserve it should be stored and eaten within 6 months. Once opened, keep butters refrigerated. For longer keeping, butters should be water-bathed.

How long does homemade fruit butters last? ›

Fruit butters will last for one to two weeks in the refrigerator but they can also be frozen, using freezer-safe packaging. Some fruit butters can also be preserved using the water bath canning method.

How long should I let Cannabutter sit for? ›

Wrap the edges of the cheesecloth over the herb and use a rubber spatula to press on the solids to extract all of the butter (discard the solids). Cover the bowl tightly and refrigerate the strained butter for at least 3 hours or overnight.

How long should I infuse my butter for? ›

Slice your butter sticks, so they fit into the reservoir, then close the lid. Consult the time and temperature calculator: 170°F degrees, and infusion for 5 hours. Some infüsiasts go up to 10 hours at 160°. This step will result in excellent infused butter.

Why can't I can butter? ›

Although mostly fat, butter is a low-acid food. Butter, milk and cream (like meat and vegetables) are low-acid products that will support the outgrowth of C. botulinum and toxin formation in a sealed jar at room temperature.

Is it better to freeze or canning butter? ›

There's, however, also canning, which is a more novel solution that can keep your butter fresh for about three years and it doesn't even require freezing! When done properly, freezing your butter can help to keep it fresh for as long as a whole year, while refrigeration will only keep it for about four months.

Can you can butter in jars? ›

Once all jars are filled, use a paper towel and wipe rims with vinegar. Remember that butter is an oil, so simply wiping with water will not ensure that the rims are clean. Place canning lid on jar and secure with metal ring to slightly more than fingertip tight. Lower jars into the pressure canner.

What's the difference between fruit jam and fruit butter? ›

Fruit butter is typically puréed into a uniform pulp (the first step to making apple butter is to make applesauce), whereas jam has an irregular texture. Jam has a brighter color. Jam is brightly colored and slightly transparent, whereas fruit butter is opaque and has a muted, brown color.

What are the different types of fruit butter? ›

Fruit Butters

Apple butter is not the only one - try pumpkin butter, pear butter, plum butter, strawberry butter and more with trusted recipes and cooking tips.

How long does fruit butter last? ›

Storing and Using. Store the finished fruit butter in airtight containers in the refrigerator or freezer. Fruit butter will last about 10 days stored in the refrigerator and up to 3 months in the freezer.

Does canned butter go rancid? ›

Butter has a shorter shelf life than fats like shortening and vegetable oil because it “has a lot of milk solids that make it go rancid, or spoil, faster,” Matt Regusci, a food safety expert with ASI Food, told Reader's Digest. How quickly that happens depends on a few factors, but mostly it's about how it's stored.

Why does homemade butter go bad? ›

butter is composed of at least 80 fat. so it will go through lipid oxidation. turning it rancid over time. the cream used to make butter has been pasteurized.

How do you increase the shelf life of homemade butter? ›

You don't get fresher than homemade butter, and you'll taste the difference. Because it's fresh, your butter won't keep as long as commercial butter, so make it in small batches and keep it in the fridge for a few weeks or freeze it for up to 9 months.

How do you know when apple butter is cooked? ›

To check for doneness: Spoon out some of the apple butter, turn the spoon upside down. The apple butter should cling to the spoon without falling off right away. If it does fall off, continue cooking to remove more of the liquid.

Does fruit butter thicken as it cools? ›

Test it by dipping a spoon in, and then run your finger down the spoon, if the butter doesn't fill in the strip, it's ready. Ladle the hot peach butter into a clean jar or jars and let cool before capping and refrigerating. The peach butter will thicken as it cools. Consume within a couple of weeks.

What is the consistency of fruit butter? ›

Fruit butters, as their name implies, are smooth, creamy spreads. They are made by slowly cooking fruit pulp and sugar to a thick but spreadable consistency. Spices or a second fruit are often added to enhance the flavor. Fruit butters are often made with less sugar than jams and have less of a candied fruit flavor.

How do you know when to stop beating butter? ›

Increase speed to medium-high and beat butter and sugar for 1-2 minutes, or until mixture is smooth, has lightened in color, and has significantly increased in volume. For best results, scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a spatula at least once or twice before the creaming process is complete.

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