Inspired by all of the great samplings at the September Savor Stratford event, I did something I haven’t done for  years and made applebutter.  It’s so easy I wonder why I don’t make this more often. Plus you can control the amount of sugar you put into it.  I know my recent batch, must have had a good number of people in our apartment block, scurrying to make apple anything homemade. 

Make it yourself and you may drive everyone in the apartment block/household wondering “who IS that fabulous cook?”  Think of all the positive vibes you’ll attract!

Here is my version of applebutter:

Into a large roasting pan with lid place:
3-4 pounds of apples. Use what you have but I tried 2 or 3 of every kind at the green grocers about 2 dozen in all.   Quarter them and remove seeds and stems but don’t peel.

1 large lemon cut in half and squeeze out the juice into pan; remove seeds and cut lemon into quarters for the pot.

A  2″ piece of peeled fresh ginger chopped fine and added to the pot
2 whole cloves + 1 cinnamon stick + 2-3 all spice pods

1 cup of dark brown sugar.

Put the lid on pan and place in an oven at 200 degrees and slow cook for a few hours. I left mine in the oven overnight.  (Note:- I haven’t tried this but I imagine a large slow cooker will also do the trick)

Remove from oven when everything is mushy and kinda dark brown, with little liquid on top. Cool and then whiz with a hand processor or blender.

Pour in pint jars and refrigerate. Of course giving some away to the neighbors, is also a good thing to do!

Enjoy.

Carolyn Winter

This recipe is actually adapted from one that I found 2 decades ago in a Robin Hood Flour recipe leaflet.  The sugar quantities have been greatly reduced and other modifications made for added flavor and nutrition.  This is a great recipe to have on hand when bananas reach that stage of over-ripeness - too sweet and mushy to enjoy.  The whole thing is quick to make.  If  you have over ripe bananas on hand all too often, you can pre-measure the dry ingredients into some jars or containers, labelled with the remaining wet ingredients remaining to be added.  Then you kinda have your own ‘cake mix’.  

Sift together

1 1/2 cup all purpose flour  (or 1 cup whole wheat flour and 1 /2 cup all purpose flour)

1/ 2 cup sugar

1/3 cup Cocoa powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. cinnamon

Mix together:

3/4 cup milk

3 medium  very ripe bananas mashed (if you use larger bananas the cake will be moister)

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1tbsp lemon juice

2 tsp. vanilla

Make a well in the dry ingredients and stir in the wet ingredients.  Pour into a greased 8″ square pan and bake in oven at 350 degrees for approximately 35 minutes.  A knife poked in the middle will come out clean.  I suspect the time depends on how many bananas are used and altitude. 

Frost with something nice or eat plain

ENJOY

Cooks Note – I usually use unbleached or ‘bread’ flour
- you can add 1level tablespoon of ground flax seeds OR wheat germ

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