Creative Spices for Apple Butter - recipes please

There are a few threads here on permies about making apple butter, but I didn't see any that mentioned what spices/volume cooked apple people have used which they liked.

I did find a link to a recipe which called for: 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/8 tsp allspice, 1/8 tsp nutmeg for 6 large apples

Feel free to have a conversation with my apple tree (I've recently been told it's a red Gravenstein* if that helps), but it produces many different sized apples, so some idea based on a volume of cooked apples really would help me out.

I'm also feeling like the triad of cinnamon, allspice and nutmeg is a bit too common. I'm wondering if a few cardamom seeds through my grinder might be interesting?

I will likely use this on toast, so I am looking more towards sweet than savory or hot, although one of the permies threads suggested apple butter could be used as a base for BBQ sauce, so I won't object if people contribute recipes for that, or anything similar where we start with a base of very thick, mushed apple.

I wonder if it could be made into a ketchup replacement?


*https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gravenstein

Cranberries are coming into season with the apples here. When I make apple sauce I occasionally make some with cranberries. I wonder what that apple cranberry combination would do to your apple butter.

Robert Ray wrote:I wonder what that apple cranberry combination would do to your apple butter.

I have mixed blackberries in with apple when making jam, but I've never considered cranberries. Cranberries have been harder to come by around here the last few years.