We spent last weekend in New Orleans. I’d been invited to be on a panel about recipe development at a lovely conference, and we wove that together with a baby-free mini-vacation for our anniversary weekend. We’d only been to New Orleans once before, just a couple months before our wedding in 2005, not realizing how strongly we’d feel connected to the city when our wedding and Hurricane Katrina fell on the same date. Meanwhile, we managed to miss another hurricane — and her damages — entirely back home. We’re lucky people.
When we go away, we always have great plans to walk everywhere and eat freely, hoping to strike a balance. However, that arrangement works out a little better in a city that doesn’t have the still air and intense heat of a preheated oven — summer there is no joke! So, we walked slowly and ate immensely. I wanted to tell you about all of it — the tomato salad with battered Vidalia “chips”! the boudin! the po’ boys! — but when I typed it all together, it was a terrifying thing to behold. I couldn’t even own up to it on a weblog that extols good eating. [Hint: I had at least four dishes smothered in gravy. In three nights!] But I will tell you about the brunch platter that nearly did me in, and had it, it would have been a fine, fine way to go: eggs, grits, fried green tomatoes, bacon, a giant warm biscuit and the owner’s own peach butter made to slather upon it. “You’re going to have to roll me home from New Orleans!” I told my husband, after which we vowed to find healthier fare on our final day (but still ended up with a beignet breakfast, muffaletta lunch and then pralines boxed up as gifts. New Orleans is snickering at me right now, I know it is.)
Needless to say, I’ve been on an austere regime of bread and water something close since we returned, but I could not get that peach butter out of my head. The thing is, I’ve never been terribly into it’s more popular cousin, apple butter; I find most to be very, very, very sweet and so intensely spiced that it tastes little like apples at all. But this peach butter wasn’t overly sweet and it just tasted like what it was — no cinnamon, nutmeg or cloves to clutter it up — the purest form of peach distilled into a spread. And so I just had to. I felt a little out of my element in the kitchen yesterday; I’m not much of a jam-maker, I’ve only canned twice. I had to Google “When will my apple butter be done?” and “Does a food mill really remove skins or just grind them up? I don’t trust this thing!” (me and Google, we’re chatty) But my apartment turned into peach heaven, the whole place was gurgling and blurping along with the peaches in the syrupy kettle, and it smelled amazing. And the results, I can hardly put into words how excited I am about this stuff, and how impossible it has been to keep my spoon out of the jar. The butter is purely peach, and just sweet enough that it’s almost, just a tad, tart. Oh, and you can pull off the whole thing in 90 minutes, while baking some biscuits in the oven. Please believe me: what your weekend morning needs is this.
One year ago: Peach Shortbread
Two years ago: Cornbread Salad
Three years ago: Sour Cherry Compote, Cold Brewed Iced Coffee and Bourbon Peach Hand Pies
Four years ago: White Bean Roasted Red Pepper Dip and Spicy Soba Noodles with Shiitake
Five years ago: 44-Clove Garlic Soup and Silky Cauliflower Soup
Peach Butter
I first learned about apple butter from Oprah who returned from one of her diets swearing it was the thing that saved her. I was crushed to learn a few years later that it had no butter — what kind of no-fun diet is that?! What are fruit butters? They’re something between a jam and a sauce, with the flavor of jam but the smoothness of sauces. The good ones have the clear flavor of pate de fruits, but not the candy sweetness. They’re also easy to make and as good slathered on a biscuit or piece of toast as they are stirred into your morning yogurt.
If you’re looking for a traditional fruit butter, you’ll be surprised by the moderate sweetness and clear peach flavor of this one. When I did some research on apple butters, I found that most recommend 4 cups of sugar for 4 pounds of fruit. I decided to take a leap — took a deep breath and nervously eyed the stove — and halved it. Most recommend one to two tablespoons of cinnamon and a bunch of other spices. I decided to use none. Humbly, I insist that these were two of the best kitchen decisions I’ve made this week. Finally, I’ve found a fruit butter that doesn’t hit you first with sugar. It’s just perfect, all peach with a enough tartness to remind you that it is, indeed, peach and not say peach gummy bears. And with no spices to clutter it up, you feel like you’re getting the best of peach season in a format that will last until there’s frost on the windowsills.
Yield: 4 cups
4 pounds (1.8 kilograms) peaches
1 cup (237 ml) water
2 cups (400 grams) granulated sugar
Juice of one lemon
Without a food mill: Cut a small “x” in the bottom of each peach. Dip each into a pot of boiling water for 30 seconds, and then into a bowl of cold water for a minute. The peels should slide right off. [If you have a food mill, skip the peeling step and I’ll tell you where to use it in a moment.]
Halve your peaches and remove the pits, then cut each half into quarters (i.e. 8 chunks from each peach). Place peach chunks and water in a large pot and bring to a boil. Simmer until peaches are tender, about 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally to ensure they cook evenly. If you have a food mill, run them through it to puree them and remove the skins. If you don’t have a food mill — i.e. you already peeled your peaches — you can puree in a food processor, blender or with an immersion blender. I like my peach butter very smooth, but feel free to leave any amount of texture you prefer.
Return the peaches to the large pot, add the sugar and lemon juice and bring the mixture to a good strong simmer/gentle boil, cooking them at this level for 30 to 40 minutes, stirring occasionally in the beginning and more often near the end, as it thickens up and the fruit masses risk scorching on the bottom of the pot.
There are several methods to test for doneness: You can drizzle a ribbon of sauce across the surface; when that ribbon holds its shape before dissolve into the pot, it is done. Some people use cold or frozen plates; dollop a spoonful in the middle of one and if no water forms a ring around it in a couple minutes, it is done. Others use a spoon; if the butter remains rounded on a spoon for two minutes, it is done. You can also check the pot itself; the butter is usually done when a wooden spoon leaves a clear trail when scraped across the bottom.
Let peach butter cool (unless you’re canning it, in which, follow the directions below). If you’re not canning it, keep it in an airtight container in the fridge. It should be good for at least two weeks.
To can your peach butter: First, sterilize your jars, either by boiling them in a large, deep pot of water (which should cover the jars completely) for 10 minutes or washing them in lots of hot soapy water, rinsing and drying the parts well and then place the jars only in a 200 degree oven for 20 minutes. Then, divide your hot piping hot peach butter between your jars, leaving a little room at the top. Wipe the rims clean with a dry towel and cover the jars with their lids. Submerge the jars in a large, deep pot of boiling water for 10 minutes, either in a removable basket or using tongs to dip and remove them. Let cool completely on towels, a process that can take overnight. If canned properly, the peach butter should last indefinitely at room temperature.
I did not have canning jars around when I made this, but am so so so in love with it that I will be buying some and making more before the last peaches are gone. I am a woman converted.
Mmmhhh…
My God I love New Orleans so much. We went for a friend’s wedding last October and literally had the time of our lives. It’ll be a Tuesday night while we’re both working behind our laptops, and one of us will pipe up with “Hey, remember that time in New Orleans…” I’ve never eaten so well and enjoyed myself so thoroughly anywhere else. Someday we’ll be back!
Lovely to see you were able to bring a little piece of your trip into your kitchen. Me? I swing buy the liquor store and pick up a six pack of Abita. ;)
Great photos from your trip, everything looks wonderful!
This peach butter looks perfect, I too find that fruit butters rarely showcase the fruit as (i believe) they should, I like to keep it simple and let the fruit shine.
I just visited New Orleans, but I guess I missed the part about peach butter. This sounds so easy, I’m going to buy peaches after work today and try it!
I make peach butter every year. Last year it was with 50 (yes, 50) pounds of peaches. I don’t eat white sugar, so I used fruit juice concentrate, and not even that much. Plus, I like to throw a smidge of ginger in for a little kick. You can also do this in a crock pot, which is wonderful. Oh, and did I mention I’m from NOLA! Loved to see pics of my city.
What do you use peach butter on or with?
Oh my god, I am not a peach person, but I really want to just drink this!
Hi Deb,
Going to NoLA in a couple of weeks myself. Any highlights on the food scene that I should be sure to check out?
Thanks!
Your trip looks amazing! I’m a huge fan of fruit “butter” though I’ve never tried to make it. The photos of the peaches are especially lovely. Peach butter and biscuits are on the list!
This is great timing for me! I suddenly have lots of peaches and now know exactly what to do with them. Thanks!
I made apple butter last year, and while it is tasty, you’re right that it lacks in actual apple flavor. This year, I’m gonna try again and leave out lots of the sugar (and maybe some of the spices, too), see how that goes.
What a lovely post. Very funny – chatty with google, haha! I love the idea and your photography is amazing. I also am not a big fan of the spices in some jams because I’m not a big fan of ground cinnamon, so this is a really nice idea. Thanks.
I wonder – when you go to restaurants etc, do you take notes all the time? I try not to because I don’t want to ruin every meal and put off my friends/boyfriend but then I often forget that great funny/clever thing I thought of when I come to writing my blog!
Vered x
I never take notes at restaurants and it’s rare that I ever bust out a camera (the coffee and doughnuts were at casual cafes). But I do try to jot things down after I leave that I might want to make a spin of later. Though, I often don’t have to write them down, I just get obsessed and can’t stop thinking about them.
RH — I think the sugar content is still high but nevertheless, I am not a canning expert by any means but am sure someone will pipe up if you cannot can this. Nothing I found in my research suggested it would be an issue.
Isn’t the high sugar content what allows for safe canning?
A perfect way to end the summer :) – just peachy!
One of the reasons I like Smitten Kitchen so much is that you always seem very in tune with what’s on the minds of foodies. I have a counter full of peaches and have exhausted most of my ideas. I love this! And I just picked up the cutest canning jars (they’re marquis shaped) that would be perfect for filling and giving away as gifts. (If I can part with them. Yes, I can. Wait. No, they’re too cute! No, yes. Yes. I can.)
We just love New Orleans! We go there every May & October. The food, people and music are just amazing! We like to eat where the locals eat and have made many friends in that town!
You definitely have to be rolled home after all that great food!
I will have to try your recipe…..sounds divine!
I have a huge bag of frozen peaches and am tempted to try this recipe with them. Do you think that would work okay?
I made a batch of your cream biscuits last night (for a dinner of biscuits and sausage gravy with a poached egg on top – mmmmmmm) and this sounds like a perfect use for the left over ones!
Just when I think you’ve outdone yourself . . oh Deb, I LOVE love love this!
LOVE this recipe. How did you know that we have 10 lbs. of peaches in our fridge (I’ve already made two peach fraiche pies, and peach shortbread – both amazing).
It’s like you read my mind and knew I needed something creative to do with all these CSA peaches!
It seems almost a shame to do anything but eat fresh summer peaches out of hand, but man, this sounds fantastic.
Yum! I love fruit butters, and this sounds fabulous! Love the photos from New Orleans!
This is cool:)
nomnomnomnomn
Sounds so yummy, I love peaches and I’m guessing I would love this even more.
I made a batch of peach-lavender butter with my sister a few weeks ago. Absolutely delicious. Our recipe (from Ashley English) had more sugar than I thought might actually be necessary, but our butter still tasted more like peaches than like sugar.
Uh oh. I see a food mill in our future…
I make peach butter with very little sugar, and I throw in a scraped vanilla been for good measure. *swoon*
This recipe should be safe to can as long as you acidify it a little – peaches are in the gray zone of pH levels for canning, so adding a tablespoon or so of lemon juice per jar you are canning should do the trick. It shouldn’t affect the flavor. Sugar in canning is more of a preservative than safety measure – you can can low-sugar items, but they just won’t last as long.
For a much more comprehensive (and fun!) tutorial on canning, check out the blog http://www.foodinjars.com – Marisa is funny, knowledgeable, and posts such great recipes!
I can’t wait to try this recipe. I’ve been on such a peach-high lately. I truly can’t get enough of them:) hhah…Have a fantastic weekend. Kisses
Is this something that you could freeze? Would love to try it!
This looks delicious, Deb! Do you know if this will freeze well (if I don’t process it)?
I only make Freezer Jam–less sugar and no bothersome canning. If you can do that, you needn’t worry about using less sugar.
Dumb question…when you simmer the peach chunks in water, do you then drain them before you puree them, or is the cup of water incorporated into the final butter?
Thanks!
hmmmm, this looks very, very intriguing. Peach butter + cream scones = perfect labour day brunch.
Oh man, I love that you put a pic of the streetcar AND the Quarter. I used to work right across from the Royal (blue flag). I learned a lot about food down there…and will be making your peach butter asap!
Hey, I’m a PeaceCorps volunteer in Armenia who just started canning this week. My apple butter was a huge success, and I’m letting pears ripen inside to try to do the same.
I’m excited to add a third butter to my canning adventures and was wondering, besides peaches, apples and pears, any other fruit butters you might recommend.
amazing!! i am just getting interested in canning, and am obsessed with summer peaches, so this is perfect. and two posts in three days? go ahead with your bad self, deb! i <3 smittenkitchen!
This sounds good! My family used to meet up with another family every fall to make apple butter in a giant copper cauldron over a backyard fire. It was so fun, and the grandmas would bake biscuits and fry chicken for dinner, so we could try the butter at the end of the day. Now, I totally want to try it with peaches!
Hillary — I know this is awkward, with me being married and all, but can I join your family?
Jill — Thanks for reminding me — I wanted to add slow-cooker directions. Peach butter is perfect for slow cooking.
Hilarity — The water goes in with everything else. It will be more like peach pieces and juices at that point.
Ooo Peach Butter!!! ooo I’ve never seen this before! Sounds delicious!! I have to go to New Orleans one day!! HAVE TO! Congrats on the panel!
Amazing. Great photos, wonderful adventure from the usual. Great recipe as well! Cheers!
I use my crock pot for apple butter. My recipe says to plug it in, smell it for 6-24 hours and then spoon it out “when you feel like it”. I use hardly any sugar anymore- just a tad of brown sugar and some cinnamon. You might want to experiment with apple butter again and see if you can enjoy it w/o all that sweetness. (Oh, and I cheat and start with unsweetened applesauce from the store!)
I am sitting here wondering if this will permanetly replace my need for Kate’s butter which I abuse http://www.kateshomemadebutter.com/ just like it did for Oprah?
Yum! For a decidedly un-vegan cook, you sure make a lot of things that are either fundamentally vegan, or can easily be modified. I love your blog! The photos are just gorgeous. Can’t wait to try my hand at this peach butter, as peaches are my favorite things to eat, ever. Thanks for sharing!
As a lover of anything peach or peach-flavored, I cannot wait to try this! I have no experience making jam or fruit butter, and none at all with canning, but I think I’ll have to take a chance on this. I’m quite certain it will be worth it.
I love apple butter so I could only imagine that peach butter would be just as delicious.
I know you decided not to add spices but I think a little bit of cardamom would be great in this.
@ RH — acidity is what makes food safe to can in a boiling water bath. Any food with a pH of 4.6 or less is safe to can without added sugar, and peaches meet this requirement. For more info, see: http://pubs.ext.vt.edu/348/348-594/348-594.html.
This looks sooo good. I grew up watching my mother and grandmother can, make jam, jelly, butters, you name it, it was preserved. From peaches to watermelon rind pickles. I love your recipe and want to make this, asap!
Oh My!! This is definitley on my list of things to make this weekend as I just picked up some of the best peaches at the market.
Deb – You should try pear butter sometime. I made it many moons ago and it was a hit with my family. I need to dig that recipe out. I think it may have included pineapple?!?
my boyfriend will LOVE this!!!
this is something I definitely want to try making!
looks delicious and peaches are my favorite (:
Oh, dear. I just made up a batch of peach-cherry jam last night. My husband already thinks I’m a canning addict. Can I justify making peach butter? It certainly seems markedly different from jam to me. And peach butter just sounds so . . . perfect.
I’ve made apple butter the past couple of years and I also cut back drastically on the sugar. But I do like it well-spiced, mostly so it doesn’t taste just like my applesauce, which has a tendency to turn out very thick.
However peaches are a more delicate fruit in my opinion, and I think leaving out the spices would work better (or maybe just a scrape of vanilla bean, like someone suggested …)
Thanks for the inspiration!
I modified a recipe I found online that has about half as much sugar as yours last month when my peach tree dropped an estimated bushel of bounty on me in one weekend. I made a traditional spiced version, but I had a hunch that it would be DIVINE with vanilla bean, and it was. Very similar recipe to yours, but I added 2 vanilla beans, slit when I cooked the peaches (in the crockpot for 4 hrs. on low). Before transferring to the stove to reduce, I scraped all the yummy vanilla bean goodness into the pot and stirred it up to distribute. Seriously, try it. I doubt the jars I canned will make it to Oct!
Oh yes. That is incredible. A weekend filled with beignets, hurricanes (the drink, not the disaster), and hubby time. Does it get any better? (Though I’m sure you were ready to see Jacob by the end of it!)
Mmmmm, now I need to go buy more peaches! I made pumpkin butter a few months ago (had about a gallon of pumpkin puree left over after last October) and it was a major hit, I know this won’t last long enough to can.
hey Deb,
i was wondering… my hubby loves this greek yoghurt-condensed milk thing that i layer with sweetened strawberry puree and cake/ digestive biscuits… strawberries are out of season here now, and we all have a mighty hankering for that dessert these days- how do you think this peach butter would fare in there?
I always cut the sugar, even when I’m making jam. Some ridiculous recipes even say to put in as much sugar as fruit by weight, which is plain nuts. I’m in my 2nd year of canning and despite several trips to the store, I’m once again out of jars. I will be going peach picking tomorrow and getting more jars on my way home. I can’t wait to stock my pantry with peach butter :D
P.S. You should give apple butter another try. Using the same method as you have here (1/2 the sugar called for, a bit of lemon juice and maybe 1/2tsp cinnamon for the whole batch), it’s really good.
omg!! I so want to make this chicken recipe that calls for peach jam,but…..living in Sweden trying to find peach jam is IMPOSSIBLE! Orange,apricot,you name it.No PEACH,so…Guess I am making this tomorrow.Thanks for the swift kick in the butt Smitten Kitchen.
You have another option for peeling – a serrated peeler! It works for fruit and tomatoes and is pretty amazing.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00020H30S/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_2?pf_rd_p=486539851&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B00020H30I&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=11GATED6YTBAQFDBN2BN
That’s if you did not want to boil and shock : )
Yum. I’m not sure there is a better beer than Abita on tap. So…freaking…good.
You read my mind! I have eighteen peaches sitting in the house that I was planning on turning into jam- they may become this instead…. Nom.
Good grief! I could peach butter my face right in that….peach butter.
?
drooling. peach butter is now on my agenda.
Mmmmm I just canned a bunch of apple butter last weekend. We had it in our oatmeal this morning and it was absolutely divine! I can imagine the magic that must be peach butter… sadly I canned the rest of my summer peaches on wednesday. Maybe I need to go get some more? (If I can find any that is!) Oh yes, the crockpot is such an easy way to get no fuss fruit butters… that and using an immersion blender before slow cooking. Yummy! Thanks for the beautiful recipe!
I’m dying to try this but peach is not a common fruit where I live, you can only find it canned and submerged in syrup. Could it be any good with fresh nectarines? Any directions to adjust sugar? Nectarines are a tad more acid than peaches.
Hmm, I just made this, but halved the recipe to use up the last of my peaches (made about 15 lbs into jam this week). I used less than 1/2 the sugar and find it way, way too sweet – more like jam than the buttery deliciousness I hoped for. It’s yummy, but much sweeter than I expected.
I’ve tried apple butter and pumpkin butter but never peach. Sounds really yummy!
This looks great. I might also try it with apricots.
I don’t have a food mill, but I have a potato ricer with several disks of varying size holes. Do you think that might work?
Calisson — You can use a ricer but it would be kinda messy and take longer. Might be easier to just peel the peaches (which is a total cinch, promise) and puree them in a blender or with an immersion blender.
Daniella — Use any stone fruit you can get. If you think it might not be sweet enough — though I’m doubtful — you can always add more near the end.
this looks amazing! I’m so glad I just happen to have some peaches!
Apple butter is one of my favorite sneakily healthy spreads – it’s the texture that makes it seem indulgent, when as you say it contains no butter at all! I can see how peach butter would have a more “clear” flavor and will certainly be giving this a try after hitting up the neighborhood farmer’s market tomorrow morning!
This is a brilliant idea! Those peaches look amazing!
that jar of peach butter looks so beautiful!
I’ve never been an apple butter fan either, but peach butter, now you’re talking.
Yum! Welcome to the world of canning–you can do all kinds of things! My favorite New Orleans cooking story: a cajun cooking class from Big Kevin. He said, “Now to all of you who dieted before coming here so you could eat: that’s the wrong approach! You need to be in training BEFORE you get here so you can eat more!”
I wish you would tell us more about the food you ate in New Orleans. We were there this spring for our anniversary and when people ask what we did, all we can say is “eat”. But, the 5 pounds I gained was definitely worth it! I’d go back and do it again. :)
This looks delicious. Making peach butter sounds like the perfect way to spend Labor Day.
Would this freeze well? I’m thinking of making and freezing, like freezer jam.
Deb, do you think this could be used with your peach shortbread you shared with us a year ago? Just thinking . . . Thanks again for another great recipe!!
This looks like it will be the absolute taste of summer in the middle of cold grey January. I’d like to know what brand of food mill you use and if you like it.
The peach butter sounds great, and New Orleans sounds even better. My sister-in-law used to work as a tourist guide and they were taught that when a visitor asked, “What’s the best souvenir to bring home from New Orleans?” they were to answer, “Ten extra pounds.” There can’t be a better place to add a little extra padding.
I live in New Orleans and have never happened upon the peach butter restaurant. Do you remember what the name is so we can try it soon?
You had me at New Orleans:)
I have been in love with fresh local peaches this summer! I can’t wait to try this…it’s definitely a Sunday morning brunch recipe to have with warm from the oven biscuits!
I’m in New Orleans for law school… you should try going on a diet in New Orleans sigh… I am trying but then we go out and all my good habits goes out the window!
I’m gonna have to try this butter, it looks amazing! After the rain passes I’m definitely gonna go hit up a fruit stand!
Next time you are in New Orleans try a salad from Cafe Rani. http://caferanimagazine.com/ It saves my waistline from expanding each time I’m down there;) Magazine Street is a great area to visit too.
there is nothing in the world that i wont consider canning.
Peach butter is heaven, but i’ve also made butters from rhubarb, cranberries, apples, pears, plums, cactusfruit, onions, berries, pawpaw, persimmons. Apricot is my favorite.
Try sweetening with dried fruit instead of sugar, 2 or 3 ounces to each pound.
Add a little acid (lemon juice) if the fruit doesnt have any tartness.
Adding this to my “MUST TRY!” list. I love peaches. Can’t find any here in Queensland at this time of year, it’s quite sad actually.
Incredibly lucky you missed out on Irene! Keep cooking! <3
– Allison
I’ve made jam a couple of times this summer, and I would love to add this to my summer in a jar care package to get me through the winter. Yum!
Anything peach makes my heart sing! Peach butter looks seriously good.
What size blade did you use in your food mill?
Hi Deb,
I’m so glad you had a good time in NOLA. That is home for me, and I think about it everyday, though I haven’t lived there in 15 years. My Mom, Dad, Sister, and many friends still do, and we manage to make it there at least once a year. I love it. Met my husband there, too, at Tulane. Love it. Give WWOZ.org a listen while you’re cooking.
DEB, DEB “throw me something” (how about some of that peach “butta”)! I’m so glad you had a wonderful time in The Big Easy! I’m a NOLA girl through and through – my cat is even named “Nola”! I feel lucky/happy to be a native and be surrounded by such wonderful food. I love your blog and look forward to your daily delicacies!
This looks godsend. This is going to accompany me straight through fall.
What an amazing trip! I’d love to experience the food + culture of New Orleans!
I’ve had peaches on the brain lately too. I’ve already made jam from them this summer but who know, I might run out and need some peach butter!
I love peach butter. It tastes so much more fresh than most jams or butters. I make mine with the peach-lavender butter recipe from Ashley English at smallmeasure.
I went to New Orleans this past April–such an amazing city for foodies! Where did you have your “delicious hurricane”? Your cup looks like the one I got at Fat Catz (fun bar with great music).
omg. i bought peaches today without a plan on how exactly i wanted to use them. i’m making this RIGHT NOW. Thank you for the inspiration.
Many thoughts…Congratulations – on your anniversary and a weekend away. Love, love, love that food mill. Peach butter is the best – I had a bunch of peaches ready to go and no time to preserve so I blanched, peeled and pureed, stored in a jar in the fridge until this week when I had time to really make peach butter. Worked beautifully!
Fruit butters make me swoon and your peach butter is no exception. I’ve never tried that variety but am tempted to try your recipe.
Your recipe is exactly how I made my fruit jams; cut up fruit, sugar and lemon juice. I don’t add any spices to it at all because the fruit cooks down to what you dream the flavor should be anyway, so why would I want to mask it with cinnamon or nutmeg? I experimented with black plums when they first arrived at the market this year and good gracious, I could drink the stuff were it thinner, it is so good. My apricot is to die for, as well. And strawberry, too. I usually only make enough for a (working jar) jar or two to keep in the fridge, but canning is really the way to go so you’ll have it for the winter. Though, I’ve had it last for 6 months..it doesn’t go bad as long as you use a clean spoon each time you dip!
I’m chiming in with the request…where did you brunch?? I just moved back to southern Louisiana and brunching in NOLA is my favorite activity…in fact, that’s my only plan for the long weekend as long as the rains of this tropical storm don’t get in the way.
I made peach butter from the Traveler’s Lunchbox site (http://www.travelerslunchbox.com/journal/2006/7/21/turning-summer-into-butter.html) after I accidentally picked a bushel of peaches and nectarines (there were so many on the tree and they were so tasty and the picking was far too easy).
The process of making the peach butter was somewhat different. The peaches were peeled and chopped and mixed with the sugar. The juices were drained off, combined with some water (to give some volume), and the mixture was used to steep lemongrass (which I overcooked into a caramel which ended up being quite tasty when added back to the peaches that were cooked down. I think that the general technique could work with any kind of fruit that would give up enough juice when mixed with sugar.
Oh yes, peach butter that is water-bathed and allowed to sit for a while in it’s cozy jar will get even better after time. Or maybe it’s just that fresh peaches are such a distant memory in December that anything would taste amazing!
How fantastic! Peach butter! I’ve only had apple versions and now highly tempted to try a peach version. I just returned from visiting my family at our annual summer bbq where I passed out my homemade jams to rave reviews. There, I finally got my great-grandmother’s apple butter recipe. Hers isn’t too sweet yet very spiced. Since I’m on such a rush of summer fruits now I love the idea of using peaches in this way.
Thanks.
I love making jam and have made lots of apple butter. I have never made peach butter, probably because I love making peach jam with a little vanilla in it. For a really delicious fruit butter, you should try pear butter which might be my favorite thing I’ve ever canned. I add a little bit of lemon juice and just a tad of nutmeg, in addition to the sugar. It’s perfect.
Oh, my gosh. I’m so obsessed with peaches this year! The more things I can make with them the better!
I made peach jam two weeks ago with the same basic recipe (minus the water). It was delicious and really let the peach flavor shine through! I love how simple the recipe is and appreciate that it’s not overly sweet. It’s a good thing I just borrowed my mom’s foley mill, I’ll be making the peach butter version this weekend! Mmm.
MMmmm.. I have a few peaches left and can’t wait to try this recipe. Perhaps tomorrow for breakfast :)
Thank you so much for this recipe! I was just about to make freezer jam out of my nectarines that i picked up at a farmers’ market in eastern Washington on my way back to Seattle. Yes, i said nectarines! Your recipe worked beautifully with those, too; i just added a smidge more sugar to taste. Now to make your cream biscuits and we will have a lovely breakfast tomorrow. Cheers!
We just got back from Italy and the farm we stayed on made peach preserves that were really more like peach butter. It was delicious and I wondered every morning about how to replicate the recipe. I can’t wait to try this!
Oh, and that’s about the cutest photo of Jacob yet.
Do you use the food mill in the pics for tomatoes too? I tried the ugly tomato sauce a few weeks ago (amazing! Perfect since the farmer’s market had buckets of tomatoes.)
Which size blade do you use for peaches?
This recipe looks ***delightful*** !
I just ordered a case of nectarines and will certainly be trying this out!
I too, have had a disdain for apple butter. My husband on the other hand…well he could live off the stuff! So I bought some for him and after much persuasion am now a convert myself!
Just in case you are interested the brand is Eden Foods Organic Apple Butter. The ingredients are only apples and apple juice. As you would expect, it tastes like apples!
I love making fruit butters! I make caramel apple butter–just giving into the sweetness there:) This summer, I made Blenheim apricot butter, in what seems like a very similar way. I LOVE it–that tart and sweet combo in the smooth texture is great. Now you’ve got me inspired to make the peach one!
I came home from a long week at work, and was toying with the idea of trying another recipe when this came up. I dropped all my other plans and made this right away, and it is amazing! Thank you for providing me with a fun and productive activity for my Friday night :)
I just made this. I am just now sitting down having shared a slice of peach butter toast with my husband, and my feet are killing me, and this might be the best thing I’ve ever cooked. It’s the first time I’ve ever canned and it was DELICIOUS and oh my sweet Southern soul thank you Deb!
I make peach butter with no sugar using 1 can of frozen apple juice to 4 lbs of cut up peaches in my 5 Qt pot. I leave it on simmer all afternoon and stir it once in a while. When it is nice and soft, I run it through my food mill and return it to the pot for about 15 minutes, that is when I add 2 teaspoons of Apple Pie Spice. I stir it again and put it into my canning pint jars. It doesn’t last long in our house but I always make biscuits for dinner that night to use the peach butter on as a treat!(I usually make a double batch too.)
Do you know what size and how many jars are recommended for canning this recipe?
Oh man, New Orleans is one of my favorite cities. You just have to give up and wallow in the butter, rice, and sugar.
Yum! Love the idea to leave out spices altogether. I always peel my peaches (as I do not have a food mill), but I also do another variation on your technique: use a crockpot! It cooks slowly and evenly with less chance of burning your product. You can’t leave it on while you run errands, but you can totally sneak in some baby time or laundry while slow cooking some peach butter.
And, on the subject of canning, be careful about modifying sugar levels. Sugar:fruit ratios are not there just for taste or gel (though sugar assists in the set of a jam, it’s not as big a deal with butters). You can read more about canning and safety on the University of Georgia Ag Extension website. It’s what the USDA recommends you read. Link: http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/publications/publications_usda.html
I hadn’t even heard of apple butter till now and your title made me stop and notice. I am trying my hand at jams these days and peach butter looks like a lovely idea.
Deb, also the ‘silky cauliflower soup’ link doesnt work for the five years ago recipe. Could you correct it please? Ofcourse i will search your recipe list right away because i have some cauliflower sitting in myfridge.l
Last fall I made pear butter for the first time, and fell in love! It was so simple, and tasted amazing. I think you should definitely try making apple butter again, as you can easily adjust the level of sugar and spices to your liking – and if you’re interested in the pear butter recipe, let me know. My evening snack of choice all last fall and winter was a few Triscuits with slices of good cheddar, topped with that pear butter. Now I can’t wait to try your peach butter, a fruit I never would have considered before!
I saw you mention this brunch on twitter and you inspired me to immediately go in search of a peach butter recipe! I ended up with something very similar (11 big peaches to 1 & 1/2 cups sugar, juice of one lemon). Sooo delicious, I’ve been eating it all week on everything I can find! I canned about half of it too, a little nervous about it not being a tested recipe but not enough to panic.
Thank you very much; I was just on my way to Google “peach butter” when something compelled me to check here.
I just recently tried my hand at peach preserves – peach butter is definitely next on my list! Also I totally agree with you about apple butter.
This sounds fabulous!
And made! 3 L canned are cooling on my kitchen floor. We almost didn’t have enough to fill the last jar because of taste-testing. Absolutely wonderful (though I’ll admit I couldn’t resist adding a .5 tbsp of cinnamon per batch)!
This looks great, Deb. Just picked some peaches yesterday at a local orchard and have to hurry up and make something…seems they instantly go bad when you aren’t looking….so this is perfect…may “can” this for holiday gifts as well a salsa verde I’m working on with the 40 tomatillos I just picked out of my own garden…nothing nicer than getting a hint of summer in the dead of winter!
I make an awesome strawberry rhubarb butter in the slow cooker… 4 cups each fruit. and only 1 c sugar. AWESOME
I have been making jam for about 3 years now. Very satisfying. In fact I made 127,
4 oz. jars for gifts for my daughter’s wedding. I believe it is a trend that people are coming back to. Great to see it on your website, which I enjoy very much. Thanks.
As a Chicago transplant originally from New Orleans, I really enjoyed this post and the pictures! And I can’t wait to try the peach butter recipe, it sounds divine!
My daughter makes apple butter all the time. Just quarter and core the apples, throw them in the crockpot on low, and let them cook. They can take 24 hours or more, but the results are worth it. No need to add sugar or spices unless you want to, and I sometimes run it through the food mill, and sometimes I keep the skins on and puree in the food processor for a higher-fiber version.
When do we get the biscuit recipe to go with this?! :)
About the sugar and canning – the lower quantity is OK for food safety (won’t affect the pH), but the high sugar content in fruit butters, jams, etc. is what prevents mold. So if you can with less sugar, you just need to be aware the fruit butter may not have as long a storage life. Keep an eye on your jars and if you see mold (either when you open the jar, or in an open jar in the refrigerator), toss them out! You can try freezer storage if you don’t want to run the risk.
Holy moly!! I have been craving peach butter for so long now… Thank you for this!
Love seeing a visitor’s view of my city! It really is one-of-a kind. The peach butter intrigues me… it would be perfect on biscuits.
Made this last night with last week’s haul of peaches from our CSA and it’s amazing! We had 3 varieties (2 yellow, 1 white) of peaches and it was fascinating that using the blanching method the skins came right off two of the varieties but clung to the other for dear life. I just left the skins on those peaches and the end product is totally fine, so in the future I won’t worry too much about getting all the skin off. The second cook took more like an hour and 30 min than just 30 min, but my peaches were super juicy. I will definitely make this again!
I still have peach butter leftover from last year, but I need to get a move on! My favorite way to do peach butter has amaretto and fresh ginger in it. You should try it sometime – it’s amazing!
Peach butter is gold! I make several batches each summer to last me through the long Canadian winters. Last year I added lavender and struck gold again! Fabulous!!
I *so* agree with your decision to omit the cinnamon. I am someone who thinks cinnamon almost never adds to the flavor of whatever it is, even apple pie; it just makes the dish taste like cinnamon instead of, say, apples or peaches. Or brown sugar/butter/oatmeal crunch.
I am just back from the Roslindale (Boston) farmers’ market with four plus pounds of peaches, ready to begin!
I just ordered a box of fresh Alberta peaches!! I was going to just put them up in slices, now I’ll make peach butter. By the way, the Naked Sauce was amazing…it rivaled the family sauce and might just spark a revolution of sorts within the tribe! I loved every last bit, which I happily scraped from my pan. Thank you! xo, Nan
Mmm. This looks yummy. Since I’m allergic to raw peaches (but not cooked ones), I’m eager to try this out!
This is brilliant. I make plenty of butters (apple and pumpkin) but peach? Yes, please.
Question from a neophyte jam-maker: I will be buying peaches from the farmers market. They are often a bit underripe and I let them sit out a few days before eating. Can I make the jam the day i purchase, when some or most of the fruit is a bit under-ripened? my concern is waiting too long and the flesh becomes mealy (often)… Any guidance on how ripe the peaches or any fruit should be when you start?
We did the same thing in Rome once – ie, a lot of walking to counterbalance a lot of eating. Try it; the food is pretty good, lots to look at, and most of the year not too hot..A perfect place for a food tour! I was also miffed by that Apple Butter basically being stewed apples by the way. Halfing sugar in sweet recipes is pretty much my MO these days too. The peach butter will be tried and tested asap!
Fantastic pictures from New Orleans! It was so amazing to meet you at IFBC! :-)
My heart be still….peach butter looks delicious and I love that you didn’t make it too sweet.
Where did you have brunch? I’m from New Orleans but currently in Chicago and sorely missing my hometown’s food. The Midwest don’t know from crawfish and po’boys.
Ana, Rosie — The place was called Eat. It was delicious. We also had a good brunch one morning at a place called Stanley (and then bought some alligator puppets for Jacob at a toy store next door!).
Lorri — I think this is a great use for very ripe peaches, i.e. a day or two after they’re firm, before they’re mushy.
Foodslice — Thanks, links should be fixed now.
Christi — It makes 4 cups, so you can divide it into any number of jars that would hold it.
Mrs. Bear — Funny enough, I recently threw away a jar of the Eden stuff, because it had been sitting unused for over a year. I agree, it’s less sweet (but still too much and too spiced for my taste). My husband had liked it though!
Margaret/Joe — I did not use the food mill for the tomato sauce; I’d peeled them and mashed them with the potato masher. I have bad memories of trying to crank and crank and crank peas through the smallest disc of the mill for baby food so I used the second smallest for the peaches. Near the end, the texture wasn’t to my liking and I used an immersion blender to finish it. So, I’d use the smallest disc next time.
Gretchen — Funny, I think the band picture was from Fat Catz. Actually, last time we were there, we got a hurricane at Pat O’Briens that I found inedible — sweet and icky. This one was from Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop and it was so, so good! I usually hate sweet drinks but this had an icy thing going on, and the sweetness was in check. I’d actually like another right now. My husband Chowhound-ed that one, he did good.
Amanda — What a fun idea. Maybe! Please let me know if you try it and it works out.
This sounds divine! I’m off to the Ferry Building for a few pounds of peaches – thanks for sharing!
I make my fruit butters in the crock pot. I do make a lot of apple butter, we have six apple trees so I had to do something, right? I do it with no spices frequently and not much sugar, if any. I like brown sugar when it’s needed. Fruit butters that are too sweet are my bane. Ick, seriously people, go eat some candy and get it out of your system.
I don’t add sugar until it is boiling down and almost done. Sugar to taste and just this side of not quite enough turns out perfect.
Instead of the cinnamon and cloves I like just a scosh of nutmeg sometimes. Mmmmmm… on warm pork loin.
I put the cut fruit into pieces, and I don’t have a mill so I do peel and core beforehand and put them on low in the crock pot until some liquid is released. After the liquid is present I crank it on high and let it go until the liquid is cooked away. I will wait a long, long time before using my immersion blender to thicken it. If you have the fruit in chunks you can cook out a LOT of liquid without having to tend the pot for hours. I have got this process down well enough that I let it cook overnight while I am sleeping. :)
Makes a fab present. I keep some with pretty lids to toss in a gift bag if a neighbor turns up with the unexpected plate of cookies.
Oh, decadent! Just the thought of NOLA makes me happy. I love the south and peaches and dishes smothered in gravy….
@Chrisd: I assume the frozen apple juice [for fruit butter w/o sugar ]is a can of apple juice CONCENTRATE? If so, what size can? :))
Thanks, Robin
Would white peaches work as well as the yellow?
I have a similar issue with most apple butter – the over-spiced issue. I’m so intrigued by this place with the peach butter in New Orleans. And why didn’t you let me in on this place when I was there? See? Now I have to go back. Plus, I never did have any beignets.
And now I’m craving fried green tomatoes again…
I can’t wait to make this! I have tons of peaches just waiting to be made into something delicious. Yesterday I made freezer peach vanilla bean jam (highly recommended), but I was looking everywhere for something a little less sweet. This is perfect! Thanks to you Deb, it’s so easy to cook seasonally.
I’m wondering if anyone has tried this leaving the skins on? When I make peach fruit leather, pies, and cobblers I leave the skins, the taste and color they lend works for me.
I know what I’m making with at least part of the flat of peaches I got a few days ago.
I miss New Orleans like the dickens!!! My favorite thing is a beignet at 2 am at Cafe Du Monde, with a coffee. And I like to scrape my “excess” powdred sugar into the coffee. ;) Can’t wait to make this. Gotta get a food mill now. Thanks a lot…:)
Total success!
You were right that the skin just slipped off using your method.
Eventually I gave up cutting the peaches into neat eighths and just broke them up with my hands–I figured that unlike yours, mine did not have to look photogenic in the pot. At the end I added a pinch or two of salt that gave the butter an even more complex flavor. It was perfect on the rosemary cornbread I had picked up earlier at the farmers’ market. It was also perfect by the spoonful.
I had some peaches sitting in the fridge and this was the perfect thing to make with them. This peach butter is super yummy and I’m glad it isn’t overly sweet. Thanks for the recipe!
omg this looks amazing, thanks for posting, I want to make it!
I took my jars of your peach butter out of the boiling water bath a little while ago. I was just now able to sample a bite from a jar in the fridge. Heaven!! You are SPOT ON…. SPOT ON about the spices in apple and pumpkin butters- I can’t believe I didn’t think of this before! Last year I made 10 jars of pumpkin butter (heavily spiced) and I still have 8. I made 6 jars of peach butter (lost one in the bath d/t exploding jar so sadly, I’m left with just 5 ) and I think they’ll be gone in two weeks. Thank you forever for blogging about this!
Lovely pictures and recipe! Thx!
You are NOT being snickered at in New Orleans. :) Why do you think we all live in this area? We love food down here. Before I moved to Louisiana in 2006 I would come down here 4-5 times every year. It all started in 1989 when my ex-husband and I got married and honeymooned in the French Qtr. We fell in love with the city and through friends made friends down here, etc, etc. Every trip down here was planned around where we were going to eat! I loved your comments about New Orleans, and the pictures were great. Very glad to hear you had such a good time. The recipe for peach butter sounds wonderful, but then so do all of your other recipes. :)
Thank goodness!!! Something I can do with the peaches that continue to be non-stop amazing (besides making pies… so many pies…)
I believe this butter would be delish in hand pie form though…
a month or so ago I made an apricot peach butter in my crock pot that used I think less than 1/2 C of sugar… and it was just a tad tart and easy enough to make, something I could start in the morning, leave the house all day and return that evening to find a perfect fruit butter! I’m planning on doing the same thing for some apple butter soon!
you can see my apricot peach butter at http://acookingmizer.wordpress.com, its called sunset in a jar.
Hi — thank you for this; I can peaches, tomatoes, make jam, etc., every year and a month ago I was excited to make apricot butter. My first fruit butter. Whole box of fresh apricots from the Wenatchee valley. Except, it never got done; I must have cooked it 60 minutes or more, no kidding. I finally just canned it hoping it would set up and I now have 10 full pints of, I’m not sure what, apricot pancake syrup, I guess. I have no earthly idea what happened. All I can figure is that I somehow cooked all the pectin out of it (past the jam stage) but didn’t reduce it enough. But, honestly, can it really be necessary to cook it more than an hour? I’m not any kind of super in the kitchen, but I like to think I know basically how to get things to work and I can not for the life of me figure this out. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Just made this – wow, it almost tastes peachier than the peaches I started with! I was a little worried because the grocery didn’t have the best looking peaches, but the butter has turned out beautifully. Thanks for another awesome recipe!! Can’t wait to make breakfast biscuits for this!
Holy moley, how lucky am I that you made peach butter at the exact time I was fretting about what to make with the scads of peaches we just picked! I was researching peach recipes and found one for peach butter… I thought “well… maybe…” But now that you have posted on the subject, I KNOW it’s the way to go…
I went to the farmer’s market this morning, and bought 4 lbs of peaches just to try this recipe… WOW! I’m going back tomorrow and buy as many peaches as I can carry. Can you say “Holiday gifts”? :-)
I’ve found I only need about 1/2 cup of sugar for 6 pounds of peaches and it’s perfect. I add it at the end after the peaches have cooked down. I’ve been thinking of adding saffron and ginger to my next batch.
YUM!! I love it when fresh peaches are in season!
i am in love with your suprise me button…. REALLY
i could spend hours being suprised with deliciousness! just thought i’d let you know!
This looks fabulous, thanks for sharing! As always, you’ve just helped determine my market list for the week.
FYI, an apple butter tip: I don’t add *any* sugar – just use windfall or old apples (since they’re extra sweet), then add a few tsp of apple cider vinegar and cinnamon as it’s cooking. Let it cook down for a few hours to get the super sweet kind. Very apple-y and not too sweet :)
When it comes to blanching peaches, the skin will only slip off if they’re extremely ripe. If they’re underripe, you still wind up paring it off. Ask me how I know this. And I added just a smidge of sugar to my peach butter a few weeks ago – I’ve discovered that, as in other areas of cookery, canning (especially high-acid foods that keep themselves safe) has plenty of room for improvisation, and hardly ever do it by the (Ball Blue) book. Hooray for peaches and late summer produce in general!
I saw some imperfect palisade peaches for sale at the boulder farmers market today i wonderif this would be a good use for them
Deb, can this be frozen after it has cooled?
Hi! Good decision to halve the sugar and spice content of your butter – I agree you get a much more fruity and not so sickly sweet flavour. I have been doing this for a while with jams, cordials, preserves and conserves.
I am not sure that the amount of sugar recommended is normally to people’s tastes, I think it is still a remnant from the days when kitchens were not as fastidiously clean and sterilising meant boiling bottles in water.
You easily get away with alot less sugar by: sterilising in either the oven at 100 deg for at least 15 mins, and also reducing the cooking temperature at the end and letting things cook for a little bit longer.
Sounds like a perfect weekend in New Orleans with a lot of lovely food. Once you are away from home, I think you definitely have to take advantage of the nice food you can get at other places. I also very much like peach butter, as long, as you mentioned as so important, it has a strong taste of fruit.
Hi! Sounds amazing! I always appreciate your sweetness adjustment in recipes! I may have to get over my fear of canning to try this out with our wedding present food mill.
I went to NOLA last year and had a similarly amazing, but overwhelming eating experience. Luckily, on the last day, after the grits, the praline bacon at Elizabeth’s,and the beignets, just when we swore that we could eat no more fried foods, we found Green Goddess (http://www.greengoddessnola.com/). The food was healthy in non-salad way. On your next trip, when you burn out, I highly recommend checking it out!
I recognize those beignets! Cafe du monde right?
We’ve been getting pounds of peaches every week from our CSA & I’ve been running out of ideas for using them up. (one can only make so many cobblers & pies) Ths sounds like the perfect solution. I can’t wait to try!
i live in ontario, canada… we grow awesome peaches here. i’m struggling with peach butter or jam? why would i choose the butter over the jam? i have always felt like apple butter was a total let down and worry that i will feel the same about the peach butter. although my brand new food mill would love to get some use! hmmm maybe i’ll make both;)
A great recipe, thank you. It’s the end of summer, which means pêche de vignes here in France! I just made your recipe using these and it’s the loveliest shade of purple. I love cinnamon so I added a stick to the sugar step. The butter has just a hint of cinnamon, nothing that overwhelms the fruit. I’m so glad you adjusted the sugar. I can’t imagine this being any sweeter.
Looks delicious!
I made and canned this peach butter recipe, and it was absolutely tasty. What an easy recipe. I love that the recipe is minus the spices- it allows the star of the show, the peaches, to really shine. Thank you for such a wonderful and easy recipe.
I had just enough peaches left from making jam to want to try this…..and I did! But I love, love, love the flavor of honey with peaches. I followed your recipe except I added 1/2 cup of honey and cut back on the sugar. No spices to mess up the honeyed peach flavor….it was devine. I now have 9 jars to enjoy all winter! Thanks for the suggestion. It is so much cleaner and brighter than my usual cinnamon heavy peach butter!
I want this RIGHT now. I keep meaning to make my own jams and butters…this might inspire me to do so asap.
love this! so simple and yet so decadent. amazing gift – and luscious color! what a decadent sounding name, too.. thanks for another knock-out recipe, deb. :)
We are going to New Orleans in a few weeks and you must tell us where your favorite places were to eat. Its so unfair to describe what you ate but not where. Please pretty please!
I can’t wait to make the peach butter. Tried several of your recipes and each one was delicious. Looking forward to each new post.
This is simmering on my stove right now, and the aroma/color/flavor is sublime! I’m a huge fan of cinnamon, but decided to make it as written, and I can scarcely believe the wonderful, pure essence of peach with nothing else detracting. Also just made your bread and butter pickles, it’s a Labor Day Smitten Kitchen cook-a-thon at my house! Thanks so much for another excellent recipe!
I’ve made peach butter before but the recipe was much more complicated… kudos to you for such a deliciously simple recipe!
BTW you can NOT not have okra jumbo or fried parfaits in New Orleans. Yum!
Love this recipe! I made this yesterday morning. It truly is amazing! I’m going to make some more later in the week. And as I’m not into canning things, I’m assuming it would be okay to freeze, like freezer jam?
I’m definitely making this tonight! I’m thinking about leaving the peels on and putting it all not my Vitamix blender. It completely pulverized anything I put in there and I think the peels would give it more flavor (and require less work). Any thoughts?
I made two versions of this yesterday, one using your recipe as is and another nixing the water and adding a great big hunk of grated ginger. Wow. They both came out amazing! I have a dozen jars canned and lined up in my pantry now, thank you!
I am SO happy that this has grams and millilitres! Definitely making this
Miam! The peach butter looks amazing, but look at those scones!! They look perfect… do you happen to have the recipe here? I love them, but haven’t found a satisfying recipe yet. Thanks for sharing!
Tried the recipe today, except I used nectarines instead, since I have an abundance of them from my CSA share, and it’s divine! I have been testing out an increasing number of your recipes on my roommates, and we haven’t yet been disappointed!
Such a great recipe for any season!
My initial failure came in the less than clear explanation as to when the peach butter is finished. I was nowhere near done in the time frame allotted, but it occurred to me that the yield is supposed to be ~4 cups. Thankfully my pot is graduated, so I stuck with that instead.
I made this today but it took 3 hours to get the peaches to thicken! Once it was done those it was great. I kept a 1/2 pint out to eat now and canned 3 others. The peach flavor comes through!
Thanks!
PS
I also get excited about new pillows….shhhh….don’t tell anyone….
A friend once described the food at a New Orleans restaurant like this: “Everything is good; nothing is good for you.” That seems like a great way to define food in New Orleans in general. But with all that good food available, being rolled home doesn’t sound like such a bad idea. =)
I haven’t had to chance to read all the comments, but is there an issue with reducing the amount of sugar when preserving fruit? As far as I am aware, it’s not just a taste thing, but the sugar plays an important role in preserving the fruit?the measurements given in most recipes aren’t just a random number, but the minimum safe level for preserving the fruit safely. If you are eating it fresh, I don’t see a problem, but if you are keeping for some time, I would be concerned that it may be dangerous.
I’m not an expert here, but I just wanted to raise it.
This is my first time doing any cooking like this, and it was wonderful! Thank you for this easy to follow recipe (that I can trick my friends into thinking was incredibly hard). I may have to buy more peaches at my farmers market next weekend…
Wow…
What a day I’ve had – all the live long day with your spectacular blog. And your food… pitter, patter, let’s get at’er!!
To clarify the sugar question, sugar is added when canning peaches not for preservation. Sugar is added to improve flavor, help stabilize color, and retain the shape of the fruit.
If you don’t believe me, looks at many of the canning guides for peaches. You can can them with nothing more than just water.
I’d never heard of apple butter or peach butter. But now I’m going to have to make both!
This reminds me of the traditional Swiss delicacy Buttenmost made from rosehips (looks just like ketchup).
It’s a bit fiddly to make (de-pipping takes time) but boy oh boy is it good!
500g depipped rosehips, 250ml red wine or water, about 400g sugar and cinamon to taste (optional).
Wash the rosehips and top and tail them, half them and remove the pips (the pips can be boiled in a little water for 10 minutes and the strained fluid can be added back to the mix). Put the rosehips in a big pan, cover with the fluid of choice and let is stand over night. Then simmer until soft and run it through the food mill. Add the sugar and simmer for 10 minutes then can hot.
I personally like it with less sugar but each to their own.
I’m surprised no one has commented on the canning technique. Putting the closed jars in a giant pot of boiling water is common, but can be annoying/heat-generating. An easier way is, like you did before, fill up the jars with the peach butter (leaving room at the top) and close them tightly. Then just tip the jars over so they’re upside down (I recommend placing them on a cloth so you don’t get possible rings on the counter top). Wait a few hours and, voila, they should be sealed shut; if not, just keep them upside down for a few more hours. Hope this helps!
I just stumbled across your blog. Two things: Why haven’t I found this before and thankfully I did find it! The pictures are gorgeous and the recipes make my mouth water. Cannot wait to visit often and try all the recipes. Thanks so much for doing such a quality and down to earth blog!
woh, this looks amazing and delicious peach. many thanks for sharing it……
To Tamar, and others like me who are too lazy to peel: I made this with the peels on, and an amazing thing happened: the peels disappeared. I’m not kidding, the must somehow dissolve. And I used fuzzy-peel peaches. I did not even puree at the end, because I like little chunks of peaches in my jam, and I could not detect the peel on any of the chunks, nor was there any peel floating around in the jam (the way you get little curls of peel w/tomatoes) Try it! I also did not add water, found that I could cook the peaces in their own juices if I let them sit in sugar for a few minutes, thus shortening the cookdown time. So I just added cut up chunks of pieces (each piece cut into approx. 10 pieces) and sugar to the pot and then cooked away. (I cooked at low temp for about 2 hours b/c I was watching a movie and did not want to be bothered to stir!) Delicious! Thanks for the idea Deb!
A perfect way to use on-the-edge (of being bad) peaches. And Agnes – thanks for the tip; I don’t like to peel either, LOL.
I just made this yesterday after going a little too crazy with the peaches at the farmers’ market. WOW. I used a immersion blender and added a little salt after I blended it. It was super easy (although getting the pits out was a bit of a mess) and delicious. I was surprised at how sweet the end result is, even though it is a peachy kind of sweet. Because of the sweetness, I have found that it goes much better with savory foods than sweet ones. For example, I just made a salad for lunch and I slid a little of the peach butter my normal vinaigrette (which, I must admit, is an idea I stole from Rachael Ray) and it was wonderful.
Just made a batch this afternoon – jars are processing as we speak! So extremely delicious, thanks for the lovely recipe. (FYI – I subbed brown sugar for granulated white, as it was all I had on hand. Delish!)
I happen to have some peaches on my counter right now–this is perfect.
My husband and I also just celebrated our sixth anniversary. We honeymooned in Gulf Shores the week before Hurricane Katrina, and being honeymooners, we were completely oblivious to the fact that a hurricane was coming. We found out as we were driving to the New Orleans airport the day before she hit. We missed our flight while we were stuck in the incredible traffic creeping toward the airport, and after finding out that there were no plane, train, or bus seats, and no rental cars to be had, we called some faithful friends who live in Jackson, Mississippi, to come and pick us up. They drove all through the night for us and got us out. God was looking out for us. It would be interesting to know the story of the people who got our seats on the plane we missed. This peach butter will be in remembrance of it all!
Sara, that’s how I often can jams and jellies too, but according to health professionals it’s not really safe. To make sure there is no bacteria you are supposed to process them in a water bath for a certain length of time (differs depending on what you are canning and your elevation).
I have been eating peach butter for years. Although I don’t make it myself, I prefer McCutcheon’s Apple Products Peach Butter and Cherry Butters. So good on an english muffin in the morning. Great recipe!
Deb – I am so glad you visited NOLA. I am born and raised on NOLA and had I known you were going to be here I would have come to the conference. Sadly, I don’t keep up with the blogs I really really like (like yours) because of my work and home life (keeping up with 5 Katrina rescue dogs consumes my life but I wouldn’t trade it for anything). Anyway, glad you came and hope you didn’t mind the heat too much. Today is really nice – TS Lee left a lot of flooding, but on the good side, the weather is really cool outside. I love your blog – looking for a recipe for caramel sauce – we made a pound cake today with some leftover powdered sugar – mu hubby likes to shop at Sam’s and buys everything in bulk. The recipe was on the back of the bag of sugar. A little sweet, but edible. Take care, Melissa
…Thrilled about the chicken posole you promised us. :) no pressure
yum. I’ve never even considered peach butter.
Just wanted to comment but if you plan on canning this you need to be aware of the sugar amount for preservation. Reducing the amount of sugar can introduce a risk of spoilage. It may not be as shelf stable because of the reduction of sugar. However I do want to comment that the peach butter looks absolutely awesome. It is glossy and smooth and a beautiful color. Thanks for sharing.
Wow, you’re vacation sounded like a dreaam. And all those New Orleans specialty items. Yum, yum.
I just made this and it’s absolutely delicious! Will be wonderful on ice-cream, bagels, biscuits – you name it. Not too sweet at all, just very peachy! First time I’ve canned too and it worked a treat. Thank you so much, again…..!
Delicious recipe. Just made a batch using some GA peaches a friend brought me back from vacation. Odd as it sounds, you must try on top of country ham & buttermilk biscuits. Thanks for the recipe!
From one who has tasted this peach butter – just today – I can only say, “It ROCKS!” Good job Deb. Now, about my Ferrari….
I made this today with Deb’s 2009 peach cupcake recipe. I cut 1/2 cup sugar from the cupcakes and added half whole wheat flour and some chopped pecans to make them more muffin-y. Yum! Put together it’s like having summer for breakfast…or lunch…or a a mid afternoon snack. You get the picture.
Next time you go, you need to try out the Green Goddess. You will love it. Or just look it up online and check out the menu for some inspiration. SO GOOD.
This came at the perfect time as I had a ton of peaches from an overly ambitious trip to the farmer’s market. I added some brown sugar and it was the perfect filling for shortbread crumb bars.
That looks delicious and I love that you went with less sugar, especially with peaches as they are so tantalizingly sweet on their own.
When I can get access to good peaches in the summer, I make vanilla-bourbon peach butter (similar to your recipe but with, you know, bourbon. And vanilla beans.) … the bourbon adds a heady aroma and it’s still not overly sweet. Wish I had some now …
Lovely post. I enjoyed every paragraph. PS: The photos are awesome. What camera are you using?
I LOVE-LOVE-LOVE apple butter, and I bet this is even better! Thanks for posting your recipe. – S
Thanks for the recipe. I’ve been contemplating peach butter. Agree that most apple butters are too sweet and too spicy, but apple butter is a glorious thing on whole-wheat biscuits.
I’ve always dreamt about going to New Orleans. It must have to colours of a sparkling peach butter :-)
Your post just made my day. I’m originally from New Orleans, my family still lives there, and this post just melted my heart. Thank you for portraying the city as wonderful as it is!
I’ve never made a fruit butter before, so I’m wondering … when you remove the peaches from the pot after boiling to puree them, do you drain the water before milling/processing? Or will the water have evaporated? (I’m assuming when you return them to the pot to cook with sugar & lemon that it’s water-free.)
Also, I love the idea of this reduced sugar recipe because I’m often “sugared” out by most fruit spreads. This one looks delicious! Thank you.
Yum! What a great summer recipe!
So we just got married and are not nearly ready for children, but when I click links to pics of Jacob- good gosh. I want one.
I made apple butter last year or the year before and now the idea of peach butter sounds fantastic. I’ve been thinking perhaps it would be nice spiced up with a bit of tea or something unusual. Yum!
These photos are incredible, looking forward to a trip to New Orleans soon.
I am not really a fruit butter nor jam person but something about this post made me really want to try it with the irrisistable stone fruit “seconds” from the farmers market… I tried it with plums and it is absolutely incredible!
Confession. I’ve made homemade apple butter (using nothing to sweeten it but a splash of apple cider and honey, by the way) and actually added a bit of butter at the end of cooking. Just a pat, but wow – what a eureka moment!
I’ll be making plum butter tomorrow, still thinking about adding spices, but pure plum butter sounds nice too…
As a proud New Orleanian, I writing to say thank you for writing a wonderful piece about one of our great attributes, our food. Even though I just ate lunch, your pictures of pralines, beignets and that beautiful peach butter are making my mouth water. I have never made peach butter at home, but think I will give this a try. Unfortunately, our Ruston peaches just went out of season, so I think I will keep it on tap for next year.
Thanks again and come back soon!
Heather
NOLA for Life
I just made this and am so, so excited. I’ve always been so intimated to can, but this recipe drove me to it. Some notes: that boil and shock method really works for removing the skins! I don’t have a food mill, so I peeled as you instructed (worked great – that process of boiling/shocking/peeling/chopping took me about 30 minutes). Then I followed all of the instructions and everything worked wonderfully. I simmered the pureed fruit with the sugar without the lid – hopefully that was the right thing to do. My one mistake was not tasting my fruit puree first – I used peaches that I picked this weekend that were very ripe, and 2 c sugar was too much – the final product is too sweet (not that that has stopped me from licking every spoon!). This is my fault for not thinking to do that. Luckily, I have more peaches to make a second batch. The canning process was also just as Deb described. My jars are cooling now. This batch made 7 4 oz jars plus another 10 oz that I didn’t can and will store in the fridge. The whole process, start to finish, including sterilizing jars and canning, took me about 3 hrs – but I am a complete beginner so I was going slow and doing a lot of consulting of your directions. Can’t wait to make this again and modify the sugar to see how it comes out! This blog has been the source of so many delicious meals for me – thanks Deb!!
Just made this Peach Butter and it is UNBELIEVABLE!! Tasted it over homemade Greek yogurt. Heaven!
this post is a delight – it’s a feast for the eyes! the peach butter though… not that’s just something else. I made this on saturday and boy did my house smell good – aromatic and fresh, the whole house was bathed in the wonderful scent of peach. thank you very much for this delight – i thoroughly enjoyed it.
I made this last weekend and it was a hit! So yummy with bread and cheese, on biscuits and by itself! I can’t wait to make it again and try out some other fruits, too!
My grandmother had a similar recipe for pear butter. I haven’t had a lot of experience with preserves but I would love to try this one. As always the photos are beautiful!
Well, I’ll be. I came to your site specifically to find a recipe for peaches, and one that didn’t mess around with them too much, one that would leave their peachiness intact. Thanks!
Where did you go that had homemade peach butter? I want to go to there!
This looks so great! Sign me up!
Just made this. So yummy. In case anyone else was curious, mine yielded 2 pints (helpful when preparing your jars). I also had really juicy peaches, and found that I simmered my peach puree for a fairly long time (1+ hours) until it was thick enough.
i just made peach jam today! and later this week i’m making peach bread pudding. also peach ice cream sundaes. and i bought some peaches just for snacking on. and also some of those peachy gummi rings! in other words, this is up my alley.
Had to do this with a day of work in the middle, and a loss of some of the almost rendered butter to a breakfast of yogurt & peach heaven, and am canning tonight. OMG is it wonderful. Intense ripe peach instead of peach sugar/spice. Delicious. Thanks Deb. This is wonderful
New Orleans has my heart. I went to school there and am in love with the whole city, especially the food!
i just adore your blog! its gives me great inspiration!
Just got done with my first batch and I used the crockpot method mentioned earlier, using the Vitamix to smooth it out halfway through cooking. Wow. Amazing. Shall now experience my first attempt at canning!
I can’t wait to try this when summer rolls around. I visited NOLA earlier this year (all the way from Australia) for a conference and I think I left my heart there.
Deb, where did you get the cute tea towel in the first photo?
This recipe sounds lovely, I’d love to try it!
Sarah — It’s from Fishs Eddy, but one or two summers ago.
Love this post! Heading to New Orleans in November so have been poking around for eating suggestions…and for the butter -well…I make apricot butter and peach jam so why not peach butter? I like to have an old-style canning jar (my grandma’s) and spread it on biscuits, toast, plop it in Greek yogurt, on pancakes for the kids – I would probably use it as toothpaste or a facial. Thinking of trying this on cornmeal cakes…thanks.
I’ve had apple butter and never thought about using peaches, though any peach dessert is my favorite! Until I had an amazing Panna Cotta with poached pears the other night. Uh.mazing!
Easy and delicious, especially on freshly-baked Smitten Kitchen cream biscuits. No food mill so I peeled the peaches (without the fast boil-shock method) and then used the blender for ultra smooth texture. You can’t go wrong combining sugar with slow-cooked fruit!
I was in New Orleans at the same time. Stanley’s was my favorite meal of our trip… The boudin made it amazing. And oddly enough, we were in a very small restaurant in the Garden District one night, and at one of the other 10 tables was a woman who said she is starting a food blog and was in town for the conference. Her fellow diners asked her what blogs she follows, and yours was the first she mentioned. Not that I was listening. :) You’re everywhere Deb!
wowwww I’m here for the first time, and I can’t believe I’ve never seen your blog! Beautiful photos and great recipes! Everything makes my eyes go 0_0 haha. This looks like a great and simple recipe~ :)
You know, it looks delicious and all, but I’m not entirely sure I could get over the fact that it’s basically just jam.
I mean, used in all the same places as jam it’s probably a nice change-up, but when compared to butter…
Well, it’s jam.
We have about 12 quarts of sliced peaches canned. About the same of tomatoes. Pickles and strawberry jam too. Apples were next on the list, but they just got bumped until next week! I’m making and canning peach butter instead! Thanks.
I am so excited to try this recipe!! My grandmother cans fruits and vegetables every year and I really want to help her this year. Question: Does this method apply to other fruits like pears or apples? How come there is no thickening agent? Thanks! Love your blog, it inspired me to make mine!
Emily — Fruit butters never have thickening agents. They’re just cooked down until there is little liquid left.
We honeymooned in NOLA and just returned in mid-August to celebrate our 20th – this time with our 14 year old daughter. Love the city, the food, the music! The peach butter sounds awesome – I definitely want to try to preserve the great flavor of Door County (WI) peaches into the cold winter!
I made this last night with no sugar and really ripe peaches and it was AMAZING. I could cry it was so delicious. Thank you!
I am looking forward this weekend as I have the ingredients now I will work on this recipe of your on Saturday.
I made your peach butter last night and it came out excellent! My co-worker has an orchard and brought in white peaches to share and I thought it was fate when I saw your post about the butter. The peaches were super sweet so I used a little less sugar. Had some this morning…bread and jam, my brit father would be proud :) Thanks for the inspiration!!!
love the non food photos as well
Made and canned the peach butter recipe using 6 lbs of peaches and only 3/4 C sugar. Had no problems with it and had some left over that I’ve been tasting out of the refrigerator a spoonful (or two) at a time. There’s more tart present but can still taste the sugar in the butter. I find it to be a nice balance. This recipe canned beautifully per your instructions, Deb. Thank you!!
made this this morning. my peaches didn’t get the “skin slips right off” memo. But other than that this was quite easy. Mine simmered for an extended period of time and didn’t pass any of the tests you suggested. After an hour I gave up and ladled it into jars, hoping it would set up when cooled. Lucky me! Its perfect and well worth the effort! Homemade bisquits with peach butter for dinner tonight! ( I might also try this with a smidge of goat cheese on top of a cracker–yum.)
Bravo on leaving out the spices. So many fruit recipes are SO heavy on the cinnamon. Peaches do not need cinnamon, IMHO, nor any berry. Not a single one. Apples and cinnamon are a happy marriage because the apples just let the cinnamon take over. Apples without cinnamon taste like apples. See Jeffery Steingarten.
Also, fruit butters, at least some of the time, were made from the glop that came out of the jelly bag after you’d hung up the pulp to collect the juice. Nose to tail fruit eating.
What beautiful photos! I especially love your photo of pouring cream into coffee.
I’ve never had apple butter (which is heresy, considering I live in New England), but peach butter sounds even better… I’ll have to scramble to make this before peaches go out of season.
Gorgeous photographs and great foodie account of New Orleans…always very curious about that city! This recipe looks super delicious and I’ve just got to try it :)
So happy to have found your blog (apparently I’m the last one NOT to have heard about it!!) and looking forward to reading more fabulous posts! xo
this was lovely :) I left the skins on because my peaches were a bit overripe and I didn’t think I could get the skin off without losing too much of the peach juices. It’s delicious. :)
I made it today and followed the recipe to the letter, and it took nearly 1 1/2 hours of cooking to set up. Even then, it didn’t pass all the tests–it stayed rounded on a spoon, but failed the cold-plate test. Any ideas why it took so long to cook? I wonder if it would have taken less time if I hadn’t boiled the peaches in water, and had instead macerated them with sugar before boiling a little to soften and then pureeing–that would mean less water to cook out of the peach puree.
I canned the peach butter, and if anyone’s curious I got 6 8-oz. jars out of four pounds of peaches. Summer peaches are one of my favorite fruits and there’s only a small window of time when they’re at their peak, so I’m excited to be able to crack open a jar of my peach butter in a few months and still have summer flavors available!
What type of food mill do you use? (Did I miss it on your Kitchen Stuff list?)
CAN YOU FREEZE FRUIT BUTTERS? I have a great recipe for a freezer jam, I used to make and can apple butter oh, a long time ago. I could can but, I love the freezer!
Thoughts.
Made this today and it is absolutely delicious! We whipped up a batch of biscuits tonight so breakfast is going to be a snap in the morning!
OK, truth be told I do not have the patience to do this recipe. But i have to say that reading it and looking at the photos is making my mouth water!
Peach butter sounds wonderful. Thanks for sharing.
I’m making this recipe now, and it’s been on the stove for at least 90 minutes and still isn’t thickened enough to pass any of the tests. But it looks/tastes delicious, so I’ll go ahead and try cooling it. Any idea whether different varieties of peaches have more or less water content, requiring different simmering times?
Becca — I’d wait until it gets to be the right thickness. Entirely possibles that some peaches have higher water content than others; also, you’re cooking this at a stronger simmer, really a boil, than most recipes. So if yours is not bubbling animatedly, you might just need more time than I did.
As soon as I saw this, I put in an order for a flat of peaches from my local fruit delivery place. I love anything peach in winter; one of my favourites is dried peaches and hot cocoa when I come in out of the cold.
That, and I freeze wild blackberries and make summer pudding on New Years Eve. The decadence! I will love to be able to add this to my summer-in-winter foods.
I recently also made peach butter, and it awaits each piece of bread I toast up! Now is the perfect time to make this, with such beautiful peaches around. Your photos are beautiful, and thanks for the recipe!
That’s it. Forget the bridal shower, forget the theater tickets I have, I’m spending my weekend driving from Chicago to southwestern Michigan to pick my own peaches.
P.S. I LOVE apple butter, especially the incredibly over-spiced variety. (we had an issue with an english-major multiplying recipes)
The peach butter sounds delicious! I’ve never tried it before – will be sure to give it a go. Love the photos from New Orleans, as well.
I use the crock pot technique for fruit butters. I don’t sweeten mine at all and it cans and keeps beautifully. Thanks for the no-spice idea! I like to season apple butter, but this batch of peach butter made of just peaches and lemon juice is delicious.
::swoon:: New Orleans…hot, yes, but oh so tasty. And “syrupy kettle”, those two words strung together made me smile and think of changing leaves, scarves and crisp mornings. You do have a way with words! :)
Deb, what kind of food mill do you have?
Food mill questions — It’s from OXO and it’s wonderful. I read a lot of reviews and people really seemed to like it and I’m glad I went with it. Oh, and all the parts are dishwasher safe too, which was not the case with many that I saw (aluminum is not a friend of dishwasher powders).
Just made the peach butter and it was fantastic! Thanks for the recipe it is definitely a keeper. Keep up the great work in the kitchen!
I went to the Food & Wine festival in New Orleans this May and I’m still trying to lose the weight! Totally, completely worth it though!
I am in love with Paul Prudhomme! I know he’s married, but man can that man cook!!!
I made this last night after picking up some lovely peaches from the market. I 1/4 the recipe and and it came out just amazing!!!!! Thanks for the deliciousness you add to my home!!
I wanted to share my favorite canning tip of the year (from a seminar with Put ‘Em Up author Sherri Brooks Vinton). If you are going to boiling water process your product for at least ten minutes you don’t have to sterilize your jars – the processing will do that for you! Wash well, of course. Heat up so they don’t shatter in a mess of hot canning sadness, definitely. But you can shorten your canning experience (and stress, in my opinion) by not pre-sterilizing at the offset.
I don’t do much canning, which is terrible ’cause I’ve got plenty to process. Peach butter sounds tremendous – maybe next year!
I love fruit butters especially peach. Yours looks lovely!
I love this post! The photos of your trip to New Orleans are absolutely stunning! I relate to your experience of not wanting to stop eating. My hubby and I went to Puerto Rico this summer and the focus was mainly food. I can’t wait to try your peach butter! I think it will be perfect with the bagels I just made. Yum!
I made a half batch of this tonight and used a bit of brown sugar in place of some of the white sugar. Absolutely amazing. I’m going to have to buy some more peaches and can some. Mmmmm.
reminds me of butterscotch- such a gorgeous texture!
xoxo <3
I made a half batch of this last weekend, and my only regret is that I only made a half batch and it is almost gone already. I also had to cook mine a loooooong time to get it to the consistency I wanted, but it is definitely worth it for the heavenly texture and taste!
So I read this post last Friday while at work, and then drooled all day long. I went to the farmer’s market and picked up 5lbs(!) of peaches. Then, the next day I went and bought everything I would need for canning (I had a garden filled with things that needed to be put up as well), and then proceeded to spend all weekend making peach butter, chutneys and jams. I have to say, the peach butter was the ultimate success of the weekend. I have been slathering the stuff on just about everything all week long!!! Thanks Deb for another fantastic recipe, and for keeping it simple. The pure peachy-ness and so addictive. I personally cannot stand apple butter, perhaps because of all the spices mucking it up!
Thank you for sharing this recipe!! This was the perfect reason to pop my “canning” cherry…which I had been intimidated to do before! It is scrumptious!!! I served it on ww/oatmeal pancakes!
Made it. Love it. Making it again. Made your Bread Without a Timetable – having a slice with Peach Butter slathered. I see no reason to can it – it won’t last that long in my house.
I just made this today and I have no idea how 1cup of water was enough to evenly cook your quartered peaches. You must have a magic pot. So what I did was reserve 1 cup of the water I did use to boil them in for the simmering into butter step.
Hi Steph — I had my peaches in 8 chunks (each half was cut into quarters) and stirred frequently to ensure even cooking. Most fruit butter recipes I saw actually called for only 1/2 cup liquid; not much is usually used because whatever you add increases the cooking time later.
I just bought 25lbs of peaches and I’m definitely making some peach butter! I thought that I might be a little ambitious (if ambitious=crazy) to buy so much when I’m 37 weeks pregnant, but I knew I couldn’t pass up the peaches! Then I saw this recipe and figured that I’m not crazy at all. I have good timing! Now I just need to get it done before this baby decides to arrive!
You inspired the first canning I’ve done in over 30 years! This peach butter is so good! I’m actually on my second batch and Hubbie is coming home with 4 more # of peaches later today.
This was incredible. I toasted up some cinnamon bread, added a layer of whipped ricotta and then slathered the top with peach butter. The whole family loved it! The remainder was placed into champagne glasses for some Bellini’s.
Goodness, I’ve never seen a recipe calling for that much sugar! You might need half that with extremely tart apples, but certainly not with peaches, which are already sweet. I make applesauce a lot; the first time I made apple butter it was by accident. I had a batch of applesauce cooking down, and forgot about it. Voila, apple butter!
This is the third recipe from your website I made this weekend. Friday made apple muffins, for dinner last night tomato sausage risotto and now the peach butter is cooking on my stove. I appreciate the lessened sugar in this one. All are delicious and thanks for the recipes!
Made the Blueberry Crumb Bars Friday, w/peaches.. will be getting this going tomorrow in the early am, maybe with a batch of biscuits for breakfast! Thank you! Have been on a peach BENDER of late and am thrilled! to have another option for preserving. Did I say ‘thank you’ already? Really. Oh, BTW, Peach/Plum (ended up with a mix in the bottom of my crate of seconds) Crumb Bars were OUTstanding! Had more than one request that night for the recipe. Cheers!
I have been a devotee of SK for some time but have never commented before. But I finally broke down to thank you for this and all of your recipes and inspirational photos (inspirational in the sense that they actually make you want to make the stuff, as opposed to just admiring). I had a batch of peaches that were not so good, and now they have a new life as delectable peach butter (though likely not for long). I just made biscuits per your recipe to go with them, and am in seventh heaven. You are awesome!
I made fruit butter once and vowed never to waste fruit like that again, I made apple butter. It was toothache sweet and had so much cinnamon I couldn’t taste the apples. After reading your peach butter recipe I raced off to the store and bought everything I needed. I let my peaches ripen to the point where you could smell them when you walked in the kitchen. I just finished my first batch of peach butter and I’m off to find more peaches to make a second batch. I can’t thank you enough for letting the essence of the peaches shine through with your recipe. I am smitten. :) My hubby thanks you too.
Wow – you were so right to cut the sugar in half. I just made this today and it is delicous PLENTY sweet even with the sugar halved. I honestly can’t imagine it with 2x the sugar…you wouldn’t even be able to taste the fruit! I do not have a food mill so I used my immersion blender on the peaches while they were still in the pot – worked perfectly. Thank you so much for sharing this. I’m keeping half for myself and husband and giving some to my sister, I’m sure she will love it as well :)
Deb, this looks spectacularly good, and is definitely going on the list of ‘must cooks’ for the next few weeks. Thanks for a) introducing me to the concept of fruit butters, which I’d never heard of before, and b) using the phrase ‘gurgling and blurping’ which has made me smile immensely.
My mum used to make peach butter and it was my absolute favorite, so as soon as I saw this post, I knew I was going to be making it… I just finished a batch (first time canning too!) and OMG was it ever worth it! So delicious. Thanks for this recipe, Deb!
I think if you cut the sugar the peach butter won’t last as long cause it doesn’t have the amount of sugar needed for preservation(like jam). But I bet you won’t need that cause it would be gone fast!:)
oh my! just burned through the SC peaches I carried back to MN, and Colorado peaches just arrived… time to break out the canning materials!
I made this tonight and it was sooo good! I had to boil it much longer than the 40 minutes to get it thick enough that I would consider it “butter”. Agreed on the 1/2 sugar, it is still very sweet. But, it still did not keep me from eating it like baby food by the spoonful. Thanks Deb!
Deb – made this last week….on a whim….I ended up added a pinch of kosher salt and a wee bit of Vietnamese cinnamon….(sorry!)….it was absolutely delightful! Another batch of peaches are sitting on my counter for a second round. Thank you for a great idea and a wonderful recipe!
Re: canning… this is my first try and there was some peach butter residue in the water after the 10 minutes were up; not a significant amount, but some. Is this normal? I think that the canning process worked because the lid of my ball jar is depressed (you know how when you open it, it pops up?), but wanted to see if anyone had some wisdom for me! Thanks!
Thanks for posting this recipe! I used nectarines instead, and they were still delicious. I didn’t simmer them before pureeing them either.
There is nothing low-fat about N’awlins- they have been labled the fattest city in the US but with good reason (we’d all be fat too if we lived there). Indulging in their good eats is part of the vacation whenever we visit; we wait to diet when we return home. Thanks so much for the recipe for peach butter. Its reminescent of something my great-grandmother from NC would often make w/the peaches from the front yard but a lot simpler (love the four ingredient list). Will be trying this out very shortly…
I made this last weekend and it was wonderful. I cut the sugar to just under 2 cups and think I would reduce it to 1 1/2 cups next time. It also took much longer to thicken – about an hour and 20 minutes. Excellent on buttermilk biscuits.
Thanks for this!
Made this and added liquid pectin….delicious and so pretty! Will be gifting this for Rosh Hashanah. Thanks for the recipe!
I just finished making this. It is absolutely sublime, but I agree with Amy; this took a very long time to thicken. Definitely delicious enough to be worth the wait, though. I can hear the jar lids plinking away in the kitchen.
I have my fourth batch going right now. This recipe motivated me to learn how to can! I bought the Oxo food mill and used the medium disc. I wonder if I should have used the super fine one. My peach butter is slightly grainy like applesauce. If I used the fine disc, would it be smooth like jelly?? I’m wondering if that is what Deb used. How did yours turn out?
This is soooo yummy! Even my husband who doesn’t like fruit slathered it on his waffles!
The peach butter looks amazing! Can’t wait to try out this recipe for myself…one questions though. Your jars are so cute! Where did you get them from? They would be ideal to use for gifts.
I used this recipe BUT with a scraped vanilla bean and boiled it with the pod as well. I removed the pod before processing in hot water bath 10 mins, devine!
I wonder how you’ll ever find my post, what with it coming after 328 others.. insane number of dedicated readers! but i hope you answer my question– how do you think soft brown sugar will fare for this? i’m thinking it will add some depth to the peaches, but am worried it might taste a little odd.. much love always
I don’t think it would taste odd — probably delicious — but it will definitely not make for a pretty color. Not that it matters if it tastes awesome.
I am the Happiest person on Earth right now!!!
I just spent the evening making this peach butter – YUM!! And I found concord grapes at the market yesterday so made your grape focaccia. I made it once last fall with literally the market’s last bunch of grapes, and have been thinking about it ever since.
Wow! Does my house ever smell good right now!!! Thank you!
Deb- I used to live in New Orleans and am now currently in the UK. I so miss the wonderful flavors of the south. But I have some now that I made your peach butter. It’s getting scarfed up quickly by my two boys. Thank you! Also, I have a huge apple tree in my back yard just filled and weighed down with fruit. I would love to make some apple butter this fall! Hope you can help me!
I made the Peach butter yesterday. I have canned for years with my daughters. We go to the berry farms in CA, pick the berries and make the jam every year. Canning a butter vs. a jam is little different and the butter is a little more forgiving in the timing of the canning. Quick Q: I bought a food mill for this recipe. Since I have never used one before I wasn’t sure how much skin should be in the pot after grinding the peaches (I mean, how do you know when you’re finished?). Also, do you leave the pot with the lid on as its cooking or leave it off? p.s. heard you Syrius radio the other day! Felt like I was listening to a rock star of food!
First Smitten Kitchen post. This peach butter is amazing!!!!!!!!!!
@Molly, the thing about Green Goddess is you can make it healthy if you try. Usually we end up having something of an epic meal (did six course tasting menu split between us for my 30th) and I am powerless to resist the Notorious Bacon Sundae. (Praline ice cream, salted caramel sauce, whipped cream, good bacon, more salt, more salted caramel.)
Deb, you need a praline recipe? They’re really easy if you can get fresh pecans and can operate a candy thermometer….
My boyfriend and I made this last night. It’s AMAZING. It goes perfectly on some cinnamon biscuits I made this morning. We canned some in little 4 ounce jars to give in Christmas stockings… but I don’t know if they’ll last that long.
Deb, I just made this butter and am obsessed with it! If you could adapt this one for pumpkins I would be extremely happy, because pumpkin butter is even better than peach butter!
This is my 2nd time making your gorgeous peach butter. It’s wonderful!
And the canning instructions worked like a charm. Am using the last of this seasons organic peaches to stock up for holiday gifts .. love love love your blog! thank you. more please! x
I had a bunch of plums, and made plum butter with the same technique. It’s swoon worthy…
I just made my second batch of this, and added just a few sprinkles of ginger and some vanilla. It’s amazing….
This tastes like the inside of the best peach cobbler I’ve ever had!
Just made this today. Took a lot of extra cooking time. But now I’m sitting here listening to the satisfying pinks and pops as the jars seal. Awesome flavor.
just made the peach butter – it is amazing!! the peach flavor is incredible, like you said. i know the ladies at my office will be thrilled to see peach butter and croissants tomorrow morning at work! thanks deb :)
Aaaand done! It took me about 2x the cooking time as well, but the flavor is incredible! Next time I’ll probably use less sugar (I only used about 2/3 the recommended amount here and it’s really sweet). And, more importantly, I’ll make at least 2x as much!
Thanks for the recipe, helpful pictures, and clear canning instructions!
This was delicious. We used 1.25c sugar and that was perfect. My wife tried it and said, this needs a cake delivery system! Enter Lemon Yogurt Cake (http://smittenkitchen.com/2010/04/lime-yogurt-cake-with-blackberry-sauce/) (yeah, we substituted lemon for lime…). This combo likely represented one of humanity’s greatest accomplishments! Thanks Deb!
Finally made a batch yesterday with end-of-season peaches. Reduced about 7 cups of peach cider for about 4 pounds of peaches, and used that instead of adding sugar. It did take almost double the time to reach ‘butter’ consistency, but the result is glorious.
Reading the post just above about Lemon Yogurt Cake… hallelujah amen.
Ok, I apologize in advance for this ridiculously long comment…I made this last weekend, but probably had just shy of 4lbs of peaches (I’d say around 3.5). I cut the sugar to one cup, and it was perfect for me (can’t even imagine all four cups of the original recipe, ugh).
Like previous posters, my cooking time was considerably longer, but I just puttered around and checked on it until the puree finally started to reduce. I ended up with barely a cup & a half of peach butter in the end. So utterly worth it and I just wish there were more! I’ve been caught dipping spoonfuls to eat all by itself, and I’ve enjoyed it spread over custardy french toast instead of syrup (a slick of butter underneath the peach butter is to.die.for!).
The next county over had some fairly bad flooding last month, which resulted in some gigantic peaches (naturally, without GM!). I’ve already got another 5 pounds ripening on my counter for the next batch, and I’m going to try cooking it down with a cardamom pod or two. I don’t can, so I may freeze a couple of containers to enjoy later!
as a native of NOLA, i’m so pleased you enjoyed our city. yes, we have our problems, however, we also have a rich culture of people and food and a celebration of life.
come on back sometime–bring your friends.
Canning is addictive; look out! I started a few years ago, and every year I add more. But it all works out; home canned goods are great presents.
I made spicy tomato-peach salsa this year, and was thinking of making peach catsup…but I would love to have peach butter on hand this winter.
Reading your blog always makes me want to spend the next full week cooking and baking!
I came across this recipe and, as I had peaches at home, I made it right away, and in a little over an hour I had this beautiful peach butter. Thanks for sharing the recipe :)
Just made this with the last of our local peaches, and it is simply divine. I am eating it by the soup-spoonful on some no-knead bread. I think this is heaven right now, right here! Thanks for the easiest and simplest recipe I’ve ever seen for peach butter.
I purchased a box of peaches from a friend who sells them as a fundraiser for her son’s football team. This recipe certainly caught my attention! Just finished making it and although I give it a 5 star on the deliciousness scale I’m surprised no one has mentioned how slippery those peeled peaches can be! Little suckers were hard to cube and I may or may not have dropped a few on the trip from the cutting board to the pot… shhh! Don’t tell my new neighbor who is getting a jar as a house warming gift. :)
I am from New Orleans and it really makes me so happy that you had a great time! There truly is nothing like New Orleans cuisine! And I am currently missing my mom and she loves peach butter so I think I will whip up a batch and bring it over! thanks so much for the great recipes!
This recipe looks awesome! I am thinking of canning some for Christmas baskets! However, half my family is diabetic so i was wondering if it would be safe(as in preserved) and taste ok to make a batch that is no sugar at all or with some sort of substitute and then can in small jelly jar portions that are shelf stable?
I made this! I haven’t canned since college and am mortified. But I think I did it right. The only problem is that my canning jar was too big, so all of it filled the jar, and there’s none left for me :) It’s all preserved and ready to give away for Christmas. But of course I got a taste and it was divine. (I might back off more on the sugar to tell you the truth!) I guess I’ll have to make some more with smaller jars next time. LOVE your blog.
oops – I’ve read the posts of people getting 6-7 8oz cans out of this recipe. What in the world did I do wrong to just get two? Delicious but scant…
This recipe is absolutely amazing! I love how little sugar there is in at (compared to some other jams and jellies I’ve made). I made some with plums today. It tastes completely different, but no less delectable!
Deb! I found some great peaches last week and made this and some peach sauce.
Wow the flavor is amazing, just right amount of sweetness. I used fresh lime instead of lemon as that is what I had without having to go 20some miles back to the store…I tripled this recipe and look forward to the coming months of cold and snow knowing that the pantry will have delicious summery tasting wonderfulness for fresh made biscuits! Thanks!
Thanks so much for this Awesome recipe! This was my first time preserving and my toddler LOVES this jam and me too!! It is so flavourful and packs a punch.
Some mods I did… Substituted a peach or two with one large mango and a few tablespoons of minced Ginger. Fantastic!
I had read on another site that mango can add some richness and round out the peach. Also a touch of Ginger (is actually not noticeable in the final product) kicks it up a notch.
Love your site!
I wish I’d read this a few weeks ago. Have just done a great load of canning and pickling and various other domesticated things. This sounds delicious!
Would it be possible to use brown sugar rather than granulated?
Hi Grissel — Check out my answer to this in #337.
love the recipe and website, i will come back heremore often!
Going to New Orleans in a couple of weeks..will be on the lookout for this. Hope I can find it !
Gosh, my peach butter looks nothng like yours, mine is darker and not as smooth. I think this is because I used an old heirloom variety, Fay Elberta, which is much jucier and sweeter. It took much longer (a couple of hours) for the water to cook out and it never did leave a trail when a spoon was pulled through. The only way I knew it was done was by pouring a spoonful on a frozen plate. I also used half the sugar, as you recommended, but it’s almost too sweet. I will try this again next year, but will only use a quarter of the sugar and will drain some of the juice off the cut peaches before cooking. I’m still gifting it for Christmas!
I have a 1.5 cup batch cooling right now. I spread the bit that didn’t fit into my jar on bread (and then ate a few more spoonfuls on their own (and then licked the pot)) and it’s delicious! Thanks!
After a rather long day, I cleared my schedule of all appointments this afternoon and came home to make this. It was time well spent. Thanks you.
The pictures are fantastic
I made this with peaches and plums and I have decided it is now my favorite way to “jam” these kinds of fruits. I may even do it with strawberries! I usually do the equal parts fruit/sugar routine with a splash of lemon juice for acidity and cook til 220 on a candy thermometer. Works well, tastes great (if a little sweet). Well, when I made this with the peaches, I licked the pot. It tasted like the purest essence of peaches. I never lick the jamming pot. YUM!
I made a batch, too, and it’s yummy! And I blogged about it here: http://journal.dolcideleria.com/2011/10/next-time-ill-know-better.html
Alright, I’m trying this out today…kinda worried with the peaches not being great right now in October. If it doesn’t work out I’ll have to try again next summer when we get some good peaches in Indiana.
If you do this with apples does it work the same? (when I’ve bought apple butter at the orchard it’s always dark brown, didn’t know if that’s because you add something else or the way the apples cook?)
Holy ef-ing sweetness! Peaches are still in season out here on the west coast and might be sweeter than usual. I used less sugar than you suggested but I think I could have used almost none- or maybe none. Anyway, its still the most delicious form of peach I have ever experienced.
At first I had to do a double-take because I thought your post was about peanut butter! But my goodness, I am speechless, I have never tried peach butter and I am always using different spreads in my recipes. Homemade spreads are always better because you can control the amount of sugar that goes in. This is a great idea for summer party treats or even wedding favors!! I have to try it!
Hi,
I live in south america and had a glut of peaches from my tree. So I set out to look for something to do with them and stumbled on your website (it’s great!).
So I’m making it as I type and wanted to share how I made it. I don’t have a food mill, and the peaches are small (golf ball sized) so I didn’t want to peel them. I just chopped them up and cooked them. Then I chucked them into my Magimix and pulsed a couple of times. After that it was really easy to get it all through a fine sieve (for full disclosure I used one of those chinese funnel shaped ones, cause my boys played war with my sieve and it died). So if any one is in the same situation this is another (easy) way.
Thanks
I was just discovering your blog and reading through posts and come across your pictures of my wonderful city…complete with pictures of our shop, Southern Candymakers! (I can even tell you the name of the praline maker in the picture by his arm…)
I’m completely thrilled to see it here and thrilled that someone with your taste & culinary interest came in and found us, and actually enjoyed our candy enough to post pictures.
I’m a newly devoted fan of your blog. About to try a meatball recipe when I finish working on our website for the day.
Thanks and Happy Mardi Gras!
Hi Kate — How wonderful! I’ll say hi next time I’m in town. Everyone there was so nice, seeing as I was sneaking behind the counter to get photos!
Deb, just wanted to drop a note and say I made this peach butter last summer and canned it; just this morning we opened the very last can. We ate some on toasted homemade bread with ricotta, and kept switching back and forth between moans of pure delight and moans of pure despair at reaching the end of the batch. Will absolutely unquestionably be making this again. Thank you!
I’m terribly late in posting, but my parents gave me a large bag of peaches from our tree, and I spent the evening working through the recipe, in hopes of having several cans of peach yumminess.
Oh my goodness – I made this for my husband, and now he’s obsessed! I don’t think there’s a day goes by when he doesn’t eat it. I only made it last week, and I’m pretty sure I’ll be making more by the time the weekend is out.
Only thing was, mine turned out a lot cloudier than yours (I like the almost gem-like colour yours has!). Any idea why this might be?
With love from England xx
Words can NOT describe how good this peach butter is! I made those 4 lbs and I need to make more!
Made a little batch of peach jam yesterday and am looking forward to finishing off the peaches with this recipe today.
Note: Yesterday was my first experience of canning on my own (have assisted friends once or twice, but it’s been a while). Reading your canning notes here with newly refreshed experience, I’d suggest a word change in the passage about dipping and removing jars from the boiling water: instead of ‘tongs’, ‘jar-gripper tongs’, so that a first-time canner won’t try to lift heavy, slick, wet jars with regular metal cooking tongs.
My baby-steps canning was a 95% success: four little half-cup jars, using a stock pot w/ pasta insert as ‘rack’; stabilized the jars while processing with an upside-down collapsible steamer. The 5% short of perfection is a few air bubbles in one jar — I was so focused on the lids and sealing that I neglected to check for and remove air bubbles. Just means we’ll start in on that jar first…
This was my first go-round peeling peaches and making any kind of ‘butter’ (all previous fruit spread endeavors being pectin-free jams/preserves). I loved it! I did start out with 8-9 lbs of whole peaches and so used 5 cups of (turbinado) sugar, the juice of 2 lemons, and 4 cups of water. I did tweak a bit for fun and add pure vanilla extract, cinnamon, and orange blossom honey.
Eclipsed by a butterfly that let me scoop it up when I was throwing fruit scraps and peels into the yard, I did forget to puree the peaches before the cooking… but pureeing it hot afterwards worked just fine. I then ran it all twice through my mesh strainers.
8 lbs yields … a LOT! as I learned ;-) But holy YUMYUMYUM!
For the record, this was GREAT over pecan crusted trout. Very versatile as far as preserves go!
Sounds wonderfully peachy!
One question…is canning the only way to go? Could I possibly make this a freezer jam instead? It’s just much simpler for me. Any advice is greatly appreciated…thank you :)
I have canned for some time and find if I wash jars in soapy water(because jars are kept in the garage and are dusty) then put in the dishwasher for full pot and pan cycle they are ready to use when by the time the butter is done and easier to handle.
I put the jar lids in a boiling water shallow pan and boil for about 10 Min.
I would like to know about freezer jam too. I would think the jam would be fine in the freezer but when you have all the canning material out it is easier to just can. If I could make freezer jam then would not have to have such a big batch.
I just made some last night, and I’m so glad I went with your suggestion of less sugar. I thought it was unbelievably sweet this way, so I can’t even imagine this with 4 cups! thanks for another great recipe :)
I used this recipe last night with a peck of peaches we got from a neighbor. Tasted delicious in the pot but I woke this morning to find that my “butter” has congealed into a solid, sticky mass in my jars! Required some serious muscle power to spread it on toast. Is there a way to fix this? Perhaps leave it out of the fridge?
I was roasting tomatoes in the oven and thought this recipe could definitely be made oven friendly. The butter is so unbelievably peachy and wonderful! White chocolate ice cream, here I come!
I made a modified version of this today – 1 cup of sugar, OJ instead of lemon juice (I didn’t have any lemons on hand) and then a mix of spices: cinnamon, ginger, allspice, nutmeg & ginger.
So far, so good!!
Made a half-batch of this last night and it is soooo delicious! Such a beautiful color too. My peaches were well past their prime and it didn’t seem to matter in the end. Enjoying it on a peanut butter sandwich today…it’s almost like having PB with honey!
I wrote back on August 6 of making my first HUGE batch of peach butter from 8-9 lbs of peaches. At the time it seemed like soo much, but it is so incredibly wonderful to pull peach butter made from summer peaches out of the freezer in December, that I am wishing I had more, and can’t wait to do this again next Summer! Still so Yum :-)
I have been searching online for an orange butter canning recipe. I haven’t been able to find anything and am not sure if it exists or is possible. I don’t want to make marmalade and would like something without apricots. Any ideas? I am thinking of just winging it, but I want to make sure it is preserved correctly. I was hoping of food-processing the oranges and cooking them down with sugar and spices, similar to apple butter. Suggestions? TY TY
I just made my second batch of this summer deliciousness; first batch I didn’t have enough peaches and had to not-quite-halve the recipe. This time I got two small jars for canning and two for the fridge — not to mention a lot more splatters around the kitchen with a much larger batch of peach puree. Watch out for the splatter factor and pop a lid at least partway on the pot if you step away from the stove. (Or maybe next time I’ll use a bigger pot than my Le Creuset Dutch oven.)
Anyway, the cleanup is worth it because peach butter + cream biscuits (http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2009/12/cream-biscuits/) = bliss.
Ok, I know this might be a bit outdated but I just made this recipe a couple of weeks ago…except I added a bit of chipotle to give a little smoke and heat. It is amazing! I am making a second batch right now! We have used it to marinate chicken, over cream cheese with crackers, on toast, on pork loin, etc. Absolutely wonderful! Thanks for the recipe!!
Do the peaches need to be really ripe, or can they be on the firmer side?
Becca — I think you will get better flavor from ripe, juicy ones.
I can’t wait to try this!! One question about the recipe….when you return the peaches to the large pot after pureeing them…is the water still in there? Or do you pour that out first? Thank you!
What do you think about adding another fruit to the equation? Peach raspberry? Peach blueberry? I found these adorable tiny jars and I was thinking about making little trio variation gifts for the holidays…
i LOVE smitten kitchen!!
Korinne — I haven’t tried any fruit mixes but I am sure they’d be delicious, too.
I made this tonight with a few modifications based on above comments and my VERY ripe peaches (I only did 1 cup sugar. I used 7 peaches, and I have no idea how much they weighed). As mentioned by some others, mine also took longer (over an hour) too cook down, although this could be due to incorrect peach-water ratios.
I just wanted to say thanks for sharing, because it is delicious! I especially love the simplicity of it. I’m going to give some away, and have a feeling I will soon be asked for the recipe :)
I wonder what this would taste like with a little pineapple? It might add some more depth of flavor.
I’ve just finished pear butter and had some peaches come my way..So I decided to talk to grama google about the favorites..So may I share♥ In my pear butter placed cut up candied ginger about 1/2 cup, and a large chunk of fresh ginger….also a Vanilla bean..about 1/4 cup brown sugar ..pinch of salt, Lemon zest,with fresh lemon juice..Plus a hand full of black currants,(home grown) which makes it a pretty salmon pink. I cook it in a crock pot and what a wonderful way to cook. I have no desire to place the spices for they seem to become rancid later if you don’t use the butter fairly soon. For the peach butter I plan on using drained crushed pineapple with the peaches, including the candied ginger. I feel that there are many variances that will work in accordance to you taste buds & likes. I’ve out grown the jellies and jams with all of the sugars in such a great amount..Thank you for all of the information given in your experiences, great information.
Wonderful information.
oops I forgot to say that I use about a 1/4 cup in of natural honey with the candied ginger…Sorry to many interruptions.
Making this right now:)
I brought the peach mixture to a boil and skimmed them to get rid of impurities and to kill anything off. Then put it in the crock pot on high until it was boiling again. Turn to low and let cook uncovered for as long as it takes to break down the fruit. I will puree it with my stick blender at that point and let it cook more until it is the right viscosity.
To finish I’ll scrape it through a sieve which gets it extra smooth (worked great with homemade catsup) then put it back in a clean pot and bring to a boil before canning.
I think your recipe and this one are fine for canning because of the acid added and the acidity of the fruit, but to be safe I always bring the final product to a simmer b4 ladling into hot jars and then do the water bath for 10 minutes (starting timing after the pot with the jars comes to a boil.)
I made this peach butter months ago and have been living off jars of it since!
Yesterday, I picked up some beautiful apricots from the grocer and knew it was time to make another batch. Threw in some fresh thyme for an earthy tone, and just as expected, it is incredible. If anyone else is into the sweet/herb combination, I highly recommend apricot and thyme!
Thanks for the awesome, fool proof recipe!
Just made this – it is tart, peachy perfection. I used coconut sugar instead of white sugar – it’s quite a bit pricier, but has less glycemic impact and added a nice earthiness and color to the butter without sacrificing any of the peach flavor. Thank you so much for the recipe!
So, I made this peach butter last night with some peaches we picked over the weekend. Can I just say OH. MY. GOD??????!!!!!!! Never have I tasted anything so perfectly, intensely peachy. It is just crazy good. Tried it on vanilla ice cream. Yes, amazing. Then I made your raspberry ricotta scones this morning but swapped for blueberries which we also picked this weekend. There are no words. Food heaven. Thank you.
Thank you so much for your “between a jam and butter” explanation! I’ve been trying to figure how those ingredients could make butter. I made my batch of jelly last year and gave them away as Christmas presents and it was an absolute hit. (And even better bc I can work on it in the summer and give it away in December). So, I wanted to carry on that tradition. I going to make peach butter this year and will be using your recipe! Thanks so much for all the info!
It is peach season so I am looking for recipes! Thank you for how well organized your site is. Because I got a literal box of peaches from the CSA this week I am thinking of making a giant batch of peach butter and freezing it until Christmas when I can give it as gifts. Who wouldn’t be delighted to have anything peachy in December? Do you know if this would work?
Thank you in advance!
I think I know why people have been reporting different cooking times- I’ve made this twice, once before I owned a food mill, and then after I bought a food mill. The batch with the food mill thickened much faster. I think the difference is boiling the peaches initially with or without their skins. The majority of a fruit’s pectin is supposed to be in the skin, so removing the skins before proceeding with the recipe may lead to longer cooking times.
Thanks, as always, for your insight. I had oodles of smallish duchess apples ready for something that did not require peeling, and apple butter seemed a logical (and delicious) use for them. My Pappy (grandfather) made fantastic, not too sweet, apple butter, and duplicating his canning perfection was my goal. I used your guidelines for peach butter, and ended up with a delicious batch of apple butter goodness. Just a little lemon juice, apples, and sugar. Very tasty! I think Pappy would approve.
What do you mean by “a clear train” in the paragraph about testing for doneness? I can only imagine you mean “a clear trail”…
Rushaly — Yup! Will fix now, thanks.
Thanks so much for this recipe! I bought a bushel of South Carolina peaches when I was in Tennessee and they had been around for a while so I was eager to use quite a few of them. This was a great experience, and one of my first time processing jars for long-term canning by myself and it was successful! My only critique is that (and this is very quite possibly be my fault) it took my mixture about double the amount of time you gave in the recipe. My peach mixture was bubbling for over an hour and it never got to the point where the spoon left a trail, but it did stay on the back of a spoon. I just decided that it had been long enough and canned it. I left one jar out and that one seems to have the consistency of an apple butter. Sorry for the long comment, but it ended on a high note, so thank you!
I’ve read all the comments I think and not sure if the frozen peaches question was answered? I have a large amount of peaches in the freezer (thanks to my peach farming uncle) that I would love to use up, and this might be the recipe that would give me some more space in my freezer!
Hi!
If I halve the recipe should I also halve the cooking time?
Sofia — No, cooking time should be almost the same to get a good texture.
I just moved to a house in Atlanta that has a peach tree in the front yard overflowing with fruit! I’m looking for things to do with the over abundance of peaches, and this looks delicious. Two questions: 1) I saw in one of your comments that you were going to add slow cooker directions to this recipe. Did you ever do that and I am just missing it? and 2) I’m thinking about adding bourbon or something to jazz up the recipe a little. When would you suggest adding that, and should I cut back on some of the other liquid? Thanks Deb!
Victoria — I never ended up making it in the slow-cooker but I don’t see why slow-cooker directions for other fruit butters wouldn’t work here — with the caveat that I don’t think I’ve ever found two slow-cookers that required the same temperature or time for matching results. I.e. when making something in the slow-cooker for the first time, just keep an eye on it until you know the estimates will work.
Just made my third batch of this. It’s wonderful as ever. I use a food mill, and the frozen-plate method, and it seems to cook for me in about the time allotted. I’m usually a bit squeamish about letting things boil for fear of losing flavor, but you can go ahead and bring this up to a very vigorous simmer. That’s usually fine when canning. This is quite a sweet treat. I definitely wouldn’t want to add any more sugar. It’s a good way to use peaches that are less than perfect (although do try to catch them at peak ripeness).
Finally, I just have to note that this recipe always makes a little more than expected (maybe because I’m not reducing it as long as other cooks?). Today I had a full 2 1/2 pints. Glad I had an extra jar prepared.
I made this tonight with half the sugar (I ran out) and it turned out well. However did you or anyone else have a problem with splatter? I probably lost a peach’s worth of butter because the peach butter constantly splattered everywhere. My stove looked like it threw up peach goo. :(. Other than stirring the whole time and keeping the hear low, do you have any suggestions? I love the result but the process was a bit painful. I don’t own a crockpot. Thanks!
Sasha — If you use a larger pot than you need, the splatters are less likely to escape. Or, you can use a splatter screen.
Make it in the oven! Seriously, it’s fantastic!
I had the same problem last year when I first made this, I ended up with a couple of burns on my hand from the stirring, and I found the process tiresome – though worth it.
This year, I first boiled the peaches on the stove until tender with a bit of water, as directed, ran them through the food mill into a shallow baking dish for increased evaporation surface, added lemon juice and half the amount of sugar, then popped into a 375 degree oven for two hours, stirring only once in between.
I’d probably have taken shorter at a higher temperature, which would’ve kept a stronger simmer, closer to what you’d be looking for on the stove. I put the baking dish on a tray instead of a rack in case it splattered, but it was fine. The reduction left a burned ring around the inside of the dish, which I hope will go away just fine with a good soak.
The butter wasn’t as smooth as I remembered, so I used the immersion blender directly in the glass jar at the end – next time I’d skip the food mill and blend everything at the very end, leaving skins in.
Hope it helps!
The recipe looks good for a eat-or-freeze recipe.
The lowered sugar amount means it should NOT be canned (and stored in a cupboard): the risk of mold using this recipe is too high. Only FDA approved recipes and methods for canning are safe. Back in the 1920s, 1930s, 1940s, thousands of people died each year because of unsafe canning.
But that’s not the biggest risk. NEVER heat your jars in the oven. Sure, I know there are people all over the internet telling people they do it all the time, and they will continue to do it all the time — until the jars explode on them.
From the manufacturer of the canning jars:
Jarden (Makes Ball and Kerr): heating jars in the oven is NOT safe and not recommended. The jars could shatter because of “Thermal Shock Breakage” – the heat environment in the oven is NOT the same type of heat as that of the water bath or pressure canner and the jars were not MADE for heating in the oven.
This recipe would be good for putting in the freezer or refrigerator – but for safety, don’t can it (mold risk), and never bake your jars.
Canning is, above all, about safety. If food isn’t safe it doesn’t matter how good it tastes.
Hey Deb,
Congrats on your new addition! Really impressed with how prolific you still are- thanks much!
So I made a bunch of this peach butter a while back- delicious- any idea how it could be used up in a new dessert? Crumble/cobbler? I am not feeling very creative so I would appreciate ANY ideas or advice.
Thanks so much! Love your site and recipes :)
Best,
Jess V
Kensington, MD
Hi Jess — Thank you. I haven’t baked much at all with peach butter, but I wonder if you could use it instead of fresh peaches in a bar like this.
I made it with 7 lb of reject peaches I bought at a roadside stand for two bucks today when we needed an emergency stop due to toddler meltdown. Used maybe a cup of honey… And didn’t peel the peaches. I still got a smooth texture. Used the immersion blender. It’s amazing! And I don’t have the energy to can it so I’m crossing my fingers that it will freeze okay, or that we can eat it all up, which should be no problem for two adults and two kids. Anyways thanks for the great idea!
This is my all-time favorite go-to peach recipe when I am canning. I’ve tried many others from trusted sources, butter, jams, and chutneys with cinnamon/nutmeg/allspice/rosemary/cardamom or honey/agave/golden rice syrup or bourbon/dark spiced rum, and they are all interesting in the way that someone else’s vacation photos are interesting. They are not my people. They are not my memories. This peach butter is my people, my home, my favorite absolute essence of peach that my daughter begs for every time we make scones regardless of season, and so now in July in Oregon I am buying up peaches by box and dusting off the food mill. Thanks, Deb!
Just finished canning your recipe for Peach Butter, sans spices & half the sugar. Most Excellent! Good call on the no spices and half the sugar! You REALLY CAN taste the peaches! Thank you!
Karen
Both times I’ve made this, following the recipe exactly, it has taken FOREVER to cook down, easily 2-3x the cooking time suggested in the recipe. Has anyone else had (and solved) this issue? Delicious result, but the stove/stirring time has been a bit out of control. The first batch I canned was labeled “interminable peach butter.”
Where I live, mangoes are plentiful and cheap, and peaches are rare and pricey. So, I made a variety of this with some very ripe mangoes needing to be used yesterday. It turned out well. Thanks for the inspiration to make a fruit butter. I modified it by adding spice (mainly cinnamon with a little nutmeg and a pinch of cloves), because I do enjoy traditional fruit butters. I also skipped the food mill/blender/food processor step. I think it would be better if I had done that, but it still is very good, and I didn’t have to wash my blender!
Is there any difference in terms of set, flavor, texture when you peel the peaches before vs. cooking them with skin and running them through the food mill? I’ve made your recipe once with skin on, then food mill, but the food mill felt a bit labor intensive (could just be my food mill). I’m tempted to try peeling them beforehand, then using the immersion blender, but am concerned about loss of flavor/color/pectin? Have you made them both ways and was there any difference?
I haven’t made it both ways, just this one. It doesn’t have to be done in a food mill, mostly what a food mill allows is for you to have more control of the final texture than an electric processor or blender allows, but since the goal here is something smooth, it shouldn’t much matter.
1st, I’d like to say I like the simplicity of this recipe & am going to try it this a.m. :-)
Most of the peach recipes, call for varying amounts of lemon juice. I understand that lemon juice keeps freshly cut fruit from “rusting”. Is lemon juice not necessary when cooking peaches before using them in a recipe?
Lol at myself. I’ve looked at this recipe many times & just now found the lemon. No need to answer my question.
This was amazing! I made three batches and canned them to use as teacher and colleague gifts during the holidays. Each batch made 6 half-pint size jars of butter. As a first time canner it was so exciting to hear the little pop of the lids! Of course I did this today when it was 90 degrees out and a ton of humidity (face palm). My first two batches were exactly as directed and were awesome. So easy to make and so so so good. I put a teaspoon of cinnamon, half a teaspoon of ground ginger and half a teaspoon of ground nutmeg in the last batch and the “spiced” peach butter was awesome too. My young sons (5 and 7) devoured what didn’t fit in the jars on English Muffins. Thanks, Deb! You continue to inspire me daily. And that german chocolate wedding cake! OMG!!! Your insta-storeis last week were fabulous!
I made this once straight and loved it! Then I made it again and added a little more than a teaspoon of chili flakes and somewhat less sugar because I ran out :) It’s very yummy and warm that way too!
Absolutely delicious! I used white peaches and cut down the sugar to 1 1/2 cups. Perfect! I had enough for 5 1/2 cups. Canned 5 and put the last bit in the fridge for immediate use. My 3 year old loves it so much it’s almost gone and I just finished the whole process 15 minutes ago.
This stuff is amazing. Like I want to bathe in it amazing. Made a batch today with he “seconds” peaches from my farmer’s market because they are half the price and just as delicious. Did make the mistake of trying to make it with my toddler in he kitchen- so didn’t read the section on boiling the peaches and just threw the water in with the rest of the ingredients to simmer. Realized it was too watery and ladled out just over a cup of liquid. But that liquid alone was phenomenal (I may have drank it with whipped cream on top because I had some left over- don’t judge me). My peaches were very juicy, so cooked for over and hour to get to the right consistency, but on goodness this stuff is so good.
Thank you for this! I made this last year, Pinned it, and never came back to say how much we love it. I’m making it again now so we have stock for winter.
This sounds wonderful! Can I halve the recipe? can I freeze it instead of canning?
Thanks Deb!
Yes to halving (but I bet you’ll wish you hadn’t) and yes to freezing.
I just made this yesterday. I doubled the recipe because I had way too many peaches from my recent trip down to southern Illinois (I’m a peach fiend). It obviously took way longer for the peach puree to cook down to a desired consistency, but it was so worth it. I canned it in six 4 oz wide mouth jars, and I had about a half of one jar, so I just stored it in the fridge. I had some this morning on sourdough toast… HOLY CRAP! SOOO GOOD! I’m thinking about making a buttermilk ice cream, and swirling some of it in.
Divine, Deb! Thanks for the recipe! I made it with aging, sad, last-leg peaches and the beauty of this recipe is that all the fruits’ imperfections vanish without a trace. I threw in some vanilla beans, as someone else had mentioned that option either here or on another recipe post, and made the whole batch in my slow cooker overnight, using an immersion blender for texture. Of note, since I cooked it for such a long time, it oxidized quite a bit — let’s call this one a “Roasted-Look” peach butter.
Deb, you’re also correct that the sugar can be adjusted with an end-product that is still safe for home water bath canning (as long as prepared safely and processed adequately). Not that I’m an expert, but reliable government sources on the Internet said so. I’ve never canned before, but now I would love to try it with my next recipe attempt. Thanks for the inspiration!
Roughly how many peaches would 4 pounds be? I don’t have a kitchen scale (I know, I know), but I made your nectarine galette with peaches yesterday–and the almond pastry cream from the cherry galette recipe in your cookbook–and it was so good I may end up making one every day until the end of peach season. I’m thinking peach butter may save us some calories…
I want to say 8 large or maybe 12 medium-large. (I was going to weigh the peaches I bought today for you, but some members of my family inhaled them before I could.)
Thanks, Deb. I buy nectarines for inhaling (nature’s most perfect food); peaches for baking. :) That makes peach butter tomorrow’s project. If it succeeds, it may finally push me into overcoming my fear of canning.
I made this because It’s PEACH SEASON here in the midwest!! I got a case of 2nds ($10) from the farmers market; they were a little dinged up but quite ripe. In fact, they were so ripe and juicy I didn’t need any water and used just a bit of sugar…maybe 1/2 cup for 12 cups of chopped, peeled peaches. It’s delicious!
I made this before I had my coffee this morning and didn’t read the recipe correctly. I dumped everything in the pan, boiled, simmered, stirred. With this very forgiving recipe, it didn’t matter at all…it tastes like summer.
I made and canned two batches yesterday. One made 5.5 cups, the other made 6. I did not peel the peaches and threw them into a Blendtec blender with great results. If you have a Blendtec, Vitamix or other high powered blender, I wouldn’t bother peeling. Delicious and will make great gifts for the holidays. I was so excited to find a recipe like this. It uses so much less sugar than jam.
I made a batch yesterday and a batch today! The flavor is just perfect. I am having trouble getting it to thicken up, though. Yesterday’s batch cooked for nearly 2 hours and is like a thick syrup. (A delicious thick syrup, who can really complain?) I tried again today with only 1/2 cup water—perhaps my peaches are extra juicy?— and still cooked for twice as long as recommended. It’s thicker but not like I’d expect. Not sure what I’m doing wrong. But it’s still delicious.
Did it thicken as it cooled at all?
I’m making this amazing peach butter for the 3rd time and having similar results. This time I took out a cup of liquid before pureeing the peaches, but it’s still not ready after almost an hour at the boil. Obviously the recipe seems worth it and many people will be super glad to get a jar during our pandemic winter, but the time makes it a big project.
If I have a vitamix, could I just purée with the skins on after cooking the first time? It should be pretty smoot. I think I may try it!
Probably! Definitely didn’t have one when this was written.
Why not just blend with the skins on? Is there a reason for that ? Asking for a (lazy) friend ❤️
With a very good blender, it would be fine (and more pink!). Otherwise you’ll have a textural issue.
I buzzed mine (skins on) with my stick blender and have had no complaints about the texture. It’s silky smooth. If you don’t tell anyone they’ll never know!
This looks great and I’m going to try it (next Southern Hemisphere summer).
When I make peach jam, I use only half as much sugar as fruit but usually keep it in the fridge. I macerate my fruit in the sugar over night, before cooking, as I find it draws out extra flavour.
After simmering the peaches and water, do you puree just the peaches or the peaches and the water? I pureed the peaches only as the picture of the food mill looked as if only peaches were in the mill. The outcome was more like jam and less like butter, and the yield was not near 4 cups. Delicious taste though!
Puree them both. If it’s more like jam, it needs to cook longer. It definitely sounds in the comments like yields vary a bit for people, as do cooking times.
I made this again with white peaches from my backyard tree. So good. Truly the essence of peach flavor. Some have commented that they had trouble getting the butter to thicken up. I peel my peaches and then roughly chop, smash them in the bottom of the pan and do NOT add any water. The peaches have plenty of juice and then you don’t need to cook off the water you added. I cooked them until very thick before using the immersion blender. Once blended the thick viscous butter really splatters badly. It’s easier to cook down before blending. If it gets too splattery I use a splatter screen and oven mitt to protect my stirring hand. Also added twice the lemon juice because white peaches are lower in acid than regular and want to keep this safe for canning. Water bathed half pint jars 15 minutes.
I don’t see where it calls for the 1 C of water in the directions??
I made this on Monday; my 4 pounds ended up making about 4 cups. Started with one cup of sugar and ended up adding an extra 1/2 cup. It’s peachiness on a spoon; beautiful color, sweet but still with a tang of fresh fruit. I used a food mill and wonder if that was one reason for the relatively small yield because it pulled out fiber as well as skins. A keeper!!!
Our little tree actually made some peaches this year, so I finally made this peach butter. I did not peel them and I cut the sugar to 1/2 cup because my peaches were perfect, but otherwise stuck to the recipe. Good god. It’s glorious. It truly doesn’t need the cinnamon, though that would also be delicious. It’s smooth (like butter!) and the most gorgeous color and it really is hard to keep out of it with a spoon. I’m so glad you put this up on your Facebook the other day and reminded me! I’ll have to make a little batch every year from here on in.
I made this and it’s amazing. I left the skins on and puréed it with an immersion blender after 1 hour. Then I reduced it even further, uncovered, on low for another hour. The result is a highly concentrated peach flavor that is so smooth and delicious!!
Has anyone tried another form of sweetener? Like coconut sugar, monk fruit sweetener or honey? I try and stay away from refined sugar but still would love to enjoy this.
I made this delectable fruit butter today with mostly nectarines and a few peaches (both showed up all local and pretty at the farmers’ market, but the nectarines looked a bit better). I cut the sugar by almost half and used an immersion blender since I don’t own a food mill (worked just fine). Thanks for this great recipe, sk! There is a time to spice, a time to leave un-spiced, and Deb sure knows what’s up in letting the fruit speak for itself here. I’m obsessed!
Lovely and a perfect way to preserve Michigan peaches for winter. The only thing I did differently was to add some dry ginger to the peaches. I always add ginger to anything peach as it seems to intensify the fruit flavor. Hard not to eat the whole batch with a spoon.
I made this, twice! Both times I used the crockpot. Here’s what I did:
1. Skipped peeling the peaches. Mine didn’t need it and the skins add extra pectin so the butter thickens a bit faster.
2. I cut the fruit as directed, then added the water and lemon juice. I only added 1/2 cup sugar.
3. Cooked peaches as directed (15-20 mins, until tender), then pureed with an immersion blender. Pro tip: if you have time, wait a bit to blend as the peaches are very hot.
4. Put into crock-pot on high heat (mine just has hour markings so I put it on the 4 hour mark). Placed a wooden spoon flat across the top of the pot, then put the lid on top as another commenter recommended.
5. Stir every 30 mins or so until cooked. Mine took about 4 hours. I don’t can so I just put it in Mason jars in the fridge and it lasted for about 1 month that way.
(Note: when I doubled the batch, I ended up cooking overnight on the lowest setting. Not ideal because a small portion was burned, but I just avoided scraping the burned parts, along the side, and scooped out the rest).
I loved the food in New Orleans. Yes central grocery and Dumondes beignets and coffee with chickory.
Had you been to K Paul’s ? Heaven.
What I brought back was pralines. I found a recipe made with sweetened condensed milk and they were heavenly.
It freezes well to. Just leave a bit of space for it to expand slightly, and let it cool completely before putting it in the freezer. The next batch, I’m going to try with part brown sugar, and maybe replace half the water with cognac I accidentally bought in Mexico, meaning to buy brandy, then drizzle in a little more if it gets too thick as the alcohol evaporates.
Making it for the third season now. I use apple cider vinegar in place of lemon and about a cup of maple syrup instead of sugar. I live in Vermont and use my backyard peaches (yes! you can grow peaches in some parts of VT!) so I just like the idea of ingredients that are all local so you can taste that Vermont terroir!
I liked the recipe. Next time I would use less sugar though. Also only got 2 cups out of it. Not sure why.
The intensity of flavour should be even better if one doesn’t initially peel and de-stone the peaches but lifts the debris out later with a slotted spoon. And you may find that you need far less sugar even than you’ve used here.
I do this when cooking masses of very unripe plums, to which I only add a couple of heaped tablespoons of sugar per 5-litre panful. (The juice and debris left behind after I’ve cooked the lot successively in the same pan, after putting each batch of cooked plums into bottles, makes the most stunningly intense sorbet, much more plummy than the one made from ripe plums.)
Help! Peaches are simmering – when I transfer to the blender am I including the liquid in the pot? Or scooping out just the fruit ?
Include
I read a recipe for apple butter years ago that cooked it in the oven, which avoids scorching. I’m inclined to try that, though it isn’t as convenient for doing the final test. What do you think?
Just made your peach butter. Only problem was it took so long to thicken. Think I would use less water next time I make it! Love your recipes!
Thanks!
I used very ripe and sweet Colorado peaches and found 2 cups of sugar resulted in candy-like sweetness for 4 lbs of fruit. If you have very sweet fruit I would start with 1 cup and add to taste. I also used my food mill for the first time and that was kind of an adventure. I love your blog!
Holy smokes this is the bomb! Followed the recipe as directed. Used 12 peaches and ended up with 4 1/2 8oz Mason jars. Canned the 4 jars and stuck the other jar in the fridge. A lot of work for 4 jars but this is so delicious. Absolutely worth the effort.
I love peaches but peach jam, not so much. But now I know why! It’s too sweet, to much other stuff going on. This was pure sunshine on a biscuit. My only note to myself is that I really need to turn up the heat and stand over it during the final simmer/boil. I let it simmer while I did other things and it ended up taking a lot longer.
Both times I’ve made this, following the recipe exactly, it has taken FOREVER to cook down, easily 2-3x the cooking time suggested in the recipe. Has anyone else had (and solved) this issue? Delicious result, but the stove/stirring time has been a bit out of control. The first batch I canned was labeled “interminable peach butter.” (Sorry for repeat post. Touched the wrong part of the screen).
Love the idea of Peach Butter, not something we come across in the UK but wanted to ask, regarding canning and sterilizing the jars, can this be done with the aid of a microwave do you think or would you say use the boiling method only? Thanks again and so looking forward to trying this.
Help me. I made my peach butter and canned it. The flavor is very good but I don’t like the consistency, it’s too thin. What are your thoughts on opening the jars and cooking the peach butter and rescanning it? Thanks!
I see no reason you cannot.
I made this in August with the ripest local peaches and saved it for the cold dead of winter, which is now. It is sunshine in a jar.
I just used the first paragraph of this recipe to peel peaches for pureed baby food, and I felt compelled to tell you, I found an even easier way. Halve the peach and remove the pit before boiling. The skin still comes off easily, and that way you’re not trying to halve a slippery peeled peach later.
How overripe can the peaches be for this recipe? Is a bit mushy ok?
This cannot be right- way too much water, and way way too much sugar. It never thickened even after 75 minutes of cooking, and was too sweet to eat. Consulted many other recipes with 3-4 times less sugar and 1/2 the amount of water or less.
Hi Deb, I came across this post, and just wanted to say that I’ve made apple butter without any sugar or spices at all, and it came out beautifully – tart and just a little sweet. I pressure cooked the apples, blitzed them with skins on, and then simmered in my slow cooker for 8 hours. Just a little stirring at the end.
Hi! I’ve made this at least 3 separate times since it was posted, and it is AMAZING. I make it every time we have a bumper crop of peaches on the trees in my yard. I would like to note that I typically triple the recipe (at least) so that I’m canning a dozen jelly jars of peach butter at a time. It does take much longer to cook down to the correct thickness- at least 3x as long for me, but again, for a tripled recipe. If you have the time and patience, this is absolutely worth the effort. Can’t wait for the batch currently bubbling on the stove to be ready to eat!
Thanks for the great recipes.
I like a little ginger in anything I make with peaches. And do peel your peaches – dry the skins in a low oven, grind them, then add an equal volume of sugar, grind again, and you have lovely peach flavored sugar to sprinkle on everything. See Food52 blog.
I made this peach butter last week and it is delicious. Then today I made your “jam bellied bran scones” from the new cookbook and used the peach butter as my jam filling and it worked so perfectly and is so tasty.
thanks!!
will this recipe work using sugar alcohols like erthytol?
I’m grateful for your spunk, travels, and this recipe! Just turned some southern peaches into the most delicious peach butter, and I CANNED. It’s been a decade but what a fun challenge. Something about this recipe had me searching for and dusting off my canning pot, tools, and jars and then I got busy. Hoping to save some for Christmas presents this year- it canned beautifully!
I saw this recipe and knew I had to try it. I bought local peaches yesterday and let the ripen more overnight. This afternoon I made the peach butter and it is delicous!! Your directions were great. I neglected to see the 1 cup water and used about 2 – 3 cups of water to simmer the peaches prior to using the food mill. The water left from that simmer looked too special to wastes. I boiled it down to a nice syrup (no added sugar) I’m going to use that as well. Maybe on your cornbread waffles (a favorite). I’m planning on the peach butter with your pastry cream recipe as pudding base with some granola for crunch.
I love your books, Instagram and newsletter. Best wishes!
This was so amazing. I ended up making and canning 56 pounds of peaches! For the second batch, I reduced the sugar to 1/4 cup and it was too little so in subsequent batches, I used 1/2 cup of brown sugar. Also, because I made such a mess reducing it on the stove, I tried the Instant Pot (fail) and then used the slow cooker overnight with the lid ajar. This was the easiest method for me (so blanch peaches to peel, cook peach chunks with water per recipe, then purée in food processor and put in slow cooker with sugar and lemon juice. Deb’s easy canning instructions were perfect for a first-canner like me. I can’t wait until next summer.
I ADORE this peach butter, and thought I had made plenty to last through the winter. Alas, I miscalculated and find myself with a tiny quarter cup canning jar left in the freezer. I did, however, freeze quite a few peaches I just cut into fourths. Do you suppose these would work to make a batch of peach butter? I love eating them frozen, but would really like a few more jars of that delicious, peachy butter for my morning toast, or baked oatmeal, or even to just eat by the spoonful over yogurt! Next summer I shall make twice as much!!
I know this is an old recipe but since it’s peach season once again, it’s definitely still relevant. I made this recipe this morning and OMG! Amazingly good and so peachy. I cut it down to 1lb of peaches (and reduced the other ingredients accordingly) since I didn’t want endless butter, and it was perfect. I also didn’t bother removing the skins and it truly didn’t matter- my Vitamix puréed it all perfectly. Thank you for this recipe!!
Luscious! I increased the amount of sugar a little (maybe 1/2 cup), as our peaches aren’t very sweet. Taste tests indicate that it is perfect. I can hardly wait for it to cool and to make biscuits!
Hi Deb:
I am blessed with a prolific peach tree! Lucky me. I have made peach/peach leaf jam, peach salsa, peach pie (sigh) and still…I face a pile.
I am tired of canning so wondered if you might advise me. Could I make the peach butter and freeze it in clean/sterile jars without the processing step?
Absolutely!
I just made this and LOVED it! I did as another commenter suggested and didn’t bother peeling them. My Ninja blender did a fine job of puréing everything . I was eating this with a spoon out of the jar!
I’ve made this many times, but today’s batch was by far the best AND the fastest. I did not blanch and skin the peaches, but rather just ran an immersion blender until the butter was smooth. Secondly, I put the pits in wire mesh tea infusers and boiled them with the peaches, removing and discarding the pits before I puréed and added the sugar and lemon juice. This seemed to increase the pectin considerably so that my peach butter had reached proper consistency by 30 minutes rather than the hours it has taken in the past.