White Peach Butter

Ive been wanting to make peach butter. I saw peaches for $1 lb. in the grocery store so I decided to buy a bunch. When I got there there was a note that it wasn't the yellow peaches that were on sale but white ones. I was a bit bummed cuz I love regular peaches. But I decided to go ahead and buy these anyway.

I came home to do some research on recipes using these. I found out white peaches are less acidic and more delicate in flavor. I also found out there's next to no recipes for using these. And so I decided to make the butter anyway using the info I did find to create my own recipe.  The flavor is very mild without the bite like yellow peaches have. So to create a bit more interest I used just a touch of cinnamon and vanilla. You don't want much or you will overwhelm the peach flavor.

White Peach Butter Makes 12 half pts.

10lbs. white peaches
2 1/2c. organic sugar
Fruit Fresh
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. vanilla
Juice of one lemon

First peel the peaches. I do this by letting them sit in boiling water for a few min. then plunging into ice water. I have found tho if they are not ripe enough, they will be harder to peel. So those I put back in the water a bit longer. Yes it does cook them a bit but since your going to be doing that anyway, it doesn't matter.

Once peeled, I pit them and cut them into small chunks. I added 2 tsp. of Fruit Fresh to keep the color from turning brown. You could use ascorbic acid too. Add the sugar, stir and let macerate overnight. Next day, put in a large pot and heat to boiling. I cooked these down in my crockpot. I didn't want to have to stand there watching them or burn them. So once the peaches have boiled, pour all that into the crockpot and turn it on to HIGH.

Add cinnamon and vanilla to peaches in crockpot. Leave the lid partially off so the steam can escape. I put a small wooden spoon on the rim and rested the lid on it. Cook for at least 5hrs. Near the end you will still have chunks of peaches. I used a hand held blender to puree what didn't break down. It should be very thick. If your not sure, then take a bit out and chill. Add the lemon juice and cook a bit more till as thick as you want. It will get even thicker once cool.

Wash jars with soap and water and put on a tray in a 200 degree oven to keep hot. Get your water bath canner going too. Once all equipment is ready and peaches are thick, pour into jars with canning funnel. Wipe all edges clean and seal. Place in water bath canner. Check to see if water is boiling once they are in the canner. Time 20min. from that point on.

When done remove to a towel on the counter and let cool. Check seals. 

I had a bit left over since I had a bit more than 10lbs. so I just put it in a container to use right away. This morning its nice and thick and the flavor is so yummy. I stirred it into my yogurt for breakfast. Awesome!