Sugar and spice and everything nice,
that's what autumn is made of.
Whenever we have a tea party, of course we have scones. Usually I make a simple cream scone recipe that way I can add some special additions to make them a bit more festive. It not only adds to the flavor of the scone, but it's so fun getting to come up with different combinations.
For our springtime tea party, I made a mock Devonshire cream, along with strawberry freezer jam and homemade lemon curd. Oh, the combination of these flavors was divine and so refreshing for a spring teatime. However, for our autumn tea, I knew I wanted something with apple and spice as the flavor on display. So apple butter and spiced cream it was!
The apple butter is super simple and easy to make on the stovetop. Just add all the ingredients to a pot and let it simmer for a couple hours, stirring every so often. As it cooks, the apples soften and the spices mix and mingle and the scents that fill your home will smell of heaven. When it's done cooking, you end up with the most beautiful, richly colored apple butter...and then when you taste it, you are blown away!
And my spiced cream is so easy it's ridiculous! But the flavor is out of this world good...our friends loved it, too! They kept going back for more!
Simple Apple Butter
1 1/2 pounds of apples (we used Gala, but any will work fine)
2 1/2 Tbsp. pure cane sugar
2 1/2 Tbsp. honey
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp. ground cloves
1/8 tsp. ground allspice
Peel, core and chop the apples. Add all ingredients to a pot and give them a gentle stir. Cover the pot and cook the mixture over medium-low heat for two hours.
Stir the apple butter every so often.
After two hours, remove the lid and continue to cook on low for one hour. This allows the butter to thicken and get the right consistency.
After the hour has passed, give the apple butter another stir. You can use an immersion blender to get it very smooth if you want. (This is not necessary, though I do prefer a smooth texture.)
Store in a glass jar in the fridge for up to three weeks.
Spiced Cream
Simply pour a 16-oz. container of heavy cream in a mixing bowl and beat until soft peaks form. Then add 1/4 cup powdered sugar and about 1/2 tsp. apple pie spice. Continue to beat until stiff peaks form. Taste for the spice flavor and if you want it to be more prominent, simply add more spice.
Happy autumn baking, friends!
♥