(NAPSI)—Canning has become a popular food trend, and a great way to save and savor the taste of the harvest season all year long.

It can, however, come with a sugar shock. Great news is that now, you can make an apple butter that’s low in sugar and calories. That’s because it’s made with Stevia In The Raw, a zero-calorie sweetener extracted from the sweet leaves of the stevia plant and purified to be 300 to 400 times sweeter than cane sugar.

Spiced Apple Butter
prep time: 24 hrs, 20 mins/ cook time: 20 mins / makes 4 cups

6 pounds apples, preferably Cortland or McIntosh, peeled, cored and cut into 1-inch pieces

2 cups apple cider

¾ cup Stevia In The Raw Baker’s Bag

½ cup Sugar In The Raw

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground cloves

In a large stainless steel pot, combine the apples and cider. Cover and bring just to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until the apples are soft, about 20 minutes. Off the heat, use a blender to whirl the apples in batches to a smooth puree.

Pour the apple puree into a 4-6-quart slow cooker. Mix in the Stevia In The Raw, Sugar In The Raw, cinnamon and cloves. Set the slow cooker to high and cook, stirring about every 30 minutes, until the butter puree is dark and thick enough to drop from a spoon, 10 to 12 hours. Be sure the apple butter comes to a boil.

Place empty canning jars in a hot water canner or other large pot fitted with a rack or lined with a towel, and fill the pot with water to a depth of 1 inch over their rims, making sure the jars stand upright. Boil for 10 minutes to sterilize the jars. Sterilize the lids in a small pot of water by simmering them for 10 minutes.

Place a folded towel on the counter. Remove the hot sterilized jars from the hot water, drain and place on the towel. Ladle the hot apple butter into the hot jars, leaving ¼-inch headspace. Using a damp paper towel, wipe around the rim of each jar. Set a flat lid on top and then twist a screw band into place, making it only finger tight.

Using a jar lifter, return the filled jars of apple butter to the canner. Make sure the water covers the jars by 1 to 2 inches, adding water if needed. Cover, bring the water to a boil, and process the jars for 10 minutes. Remove the lid and let the jars of apple butter sit for 5 minutes. With the jar lifter, remove the processed apple butter and place the jars on a folded towel. Let jars sit undisturbed for 12 hours. After 1 hour, check the lids; they should be flat when touched in the center. If a jar is not sealed properly and the lid can be pressed down, the contents are still safe to consume but the jar should be refrigerated immediately and used within 3 weeks. Properly sealed jars can be stored in a cool place for up to 3 months.

Learn More

For more canning tips and additional recipes, visit www.InTheRaw.com.