Southern Recipe Restoration Project

The contributor: Carole Bond, who hails from Chillicothe, Mo., and moved to Monroe four years ago.
The first time Bond tried to make the apple butter she so fondly recalled from childhood, it took her and a friend the better part of a day. So when she contributed the recipe to our ongoing Southern Recipe Restoration Project, she asked if we might come up with a version just as tasty, but easier.
Food columnist and recipe tester Deborah Geering was up to the task, reducing the quantity and employing her chinois -- a fine-mesh, cone-shaped sieve available in cookware stores and online. (She also offers instructions below for making it without one.)
While still far from a quick recipe, this updated version is considerably less labor-intensive -- and messy -- than the original, and a yummy way to get extra mileage out of a fruitful apple-picking expedition in the Georgia mountains. -- Susan Puckett, for the Journal-Constitution

If little red candies aren't your thing, you might want to substitute an additional 1/2 cup granulated sugar and an extra 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon for the red hots. Carole Bond's grandmother preferred Jonathan apples mixed with a few Winesaps, but you can use any sweet apples. If you don't have a chinois, don't give up. But do peel and core the apples before adding (with the peels and cores) to the pot with the cider. After cooking 20 minutes, scoop out the peels and cores, drain the juices back into the pot, and discard the peels and cores. Then mash the remaining apples or press through a sieve. After pressing the apples, you can cook them in a slow cooker, if you prefer. Cook uncovered on low, stirring occasionally, until thick.