Thursday, May 16, 2013

Monkey Butter Canning Recipe

It has come to my attention that this recipe is not safe for long term canning.  Make it and keep it in the fridge - it's yummy but canning banana's is not a good idea.  My apologies.

I was in the mood to do some canning this week and I've read about this recipe several times.  You have to admit the title sounds pretty intriguing already - Monkey Butter.  What is that anyway???

It's a totally yummy tropical tasting jam...made with pineapple, bananas and coconut (and sugar) it is not  very 100-mile-diet.  I know I know!!!  I adore all three ingredients - oh what to do!!

One of my Methods-For-Success is to make a recipe the way it was written first and THEN make adjustments.  So in went ALL the sugar called for - it was really hard to do!  



Anyway - on to the original recipe for MONKEY BUTTER.

5 ripe bananas (but no brown spots on the inside)
1 - 20oz can of pineapple with the juice
1/4 cup of shredded coconut
3 cups of sugar
3 Tbsp. of lemon juice

OK - I almost followed the recipe exactly!  First thing I did was double the recipe.  The canned pineapple didn't have ounces on it so after some time with google I decided three small cans equally approx. 42 ounces.

Slice the bananas into a large pot, add the rest of the ingredients and set the stove to a medium heat to heat it up and then turned it down to low - don't leave the stove - that much sugar will burn if left unattended for too long.  I wanted a jam that spread without huge chunks so I used an hand-held immersion blender to blend it down.

The Monkey Butter simmered for about an hour on very low as I washed my jars and set them in the canner to sterilize them.  We have hard water so I added a little vinegar to the canner to prevent cloudy-looking jars.  Simmer the flat lids in another small pan to soften the seals and prepare your counter so you have enough space to work.

When the Monkey Butter has reduced to a nice thick jam it's ready to can.  Remove the jars with  canning tongs (but don't empty the water out of the pot) and fill them using a funnel to within 1/2 inch of the rim.  Top with seal and a ring and water bath can for 15 minutes.  That means place the filled jars in a large pot/water bath canner with a lid with enough water to cover the jars by an inch or more and bring to a rolling boil.  Start timing the 15 minutes when the boiling starts.  

Remove jars and place on a cookie rack covered with a tea towel and cover the jars with another tea towel and do not disturb until completely cool - which is usually the next day.  Check to make sure each jar sealed by pressing on the tops - there should be no wiggle.  If there is a wiggle just put it in the fridge and eat it right away. 

Remove the rings from the jars and use warm running water and a clean dishcloth to wash each jar thoroughly so there is no jam on the outside to mould after a few months or years on the shelf.  By washing the jars this way you'll know-that-you-know that the lid is on tight and sealed.  Don't forget to label the jars - I use a permanent marker on the lid because I hate scraping off stickers later.  Without a label these will look like apple sauce in a few weeks!  I was able to make 10 - 1/2 pint jars from this recipe




So for what I could adjust... I had lots of ideas.

First off honey instead of sugar - maybe 1 cup honey for 3 cups sugar - it would probably require a longer simmer.  Or part honey and part sugar. 

I could make pineapple out of zucchini - yes really you can.  It's basically chopped zucchini, lemon juice, pineapple juice and sugar - a weird but wonderfully inventive idea from back in the days when pineapple was unheard of for most people due to the expense and the lack of transportation made it unavailable anyway.

There is no substitute for bananas in my world.  I love banana's.  We buy them three bunches at a time and always run out. The coconut - hmmmm - dried shredded apples maybe?? 

You can spread it on toast - I think it would be great with peanut butter! It would be delicious on ice cream or yogurt.

Regardless of the 1000 mile recipe or maybe because of it - it tastes like a million dollars!

17 comments:

  1. This sounds delicious and you made it sound so easy. I would definitely be trying alternatives to all that sugar! The 1/2 pint jars would make cute gifts :-).

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. My daughter and niece made this for Christmas to give out in gift baskets it is delicious

      Delete
  2. MMMMMMMMMMMMMM....sounds good! I think I will make this next week when I am done with this flu and have energy galore! lol I like your changes and will try it with honey.

    lgsbrooks

    ReplyDelete
  3. This sounds delicious. I hope it was okay that I pinned your post to my canning board on Pinterest.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Oops-A-Daisy says thank you for sharing a great recipe. Tried my 'gift' jar on toast this morning and will definitely be making it.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Great on baked chicken. Tropical chicken yummy

    ReplyDelete
  6. Just found you via Canning Granny on Facebook. I definitely need to try this. It sounds soooo good!

    ReplyDelete
  7. This is the same recipe for Tropical Jam... yum

    ReplyDelete
  8. I was hoping someone had tried this. I will soon and leave a comment from someone who has actually made it.You will love living in the country it cures your soul.


    ReplyDelete
  9. I made this a couple of weeks ago. Amazing spread. Only thing is I was wondering about canning bananas. Especially for the short amount of time. Is it the addition of the lemon juice that helps kill any possibility of botulism? I have read that you are never supposed to can bananas but that was after I canned this.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I don't know how you got 10 1/2 pint jars from this recipe, even doubling it I only got eight. Eight lovely, yummy, belly rubbing jars of goodness. This recipe is great in a grilled sandwich. Spread peanut butter on one slice of bread and monkey butter on the other. Slap them together and grill as you would a grilled cheese sandwich. OMG it's dessert worthy!

    ReplyDelete
  11. "First thing I did was doubled the recipe" :) - it just sounded so good I knew I would love it!!

    ReplyDelete
  12. I was supposed to have an easy night out on the couch with the husband, a glass of wine and a movie. Then I came accross this recipe... The husband and the movie are gonna have to wait until I finished making the monkey butter :-)

    ReplyDelete
  13. Can you please explain what you meant about using zucchini as a pineapple replacement? Thank you!!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Try this link: http://www.food.com/recipe/zucchini-pineapple-9531

      Delete
  14. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete

Join the family - join the conversation - share your own adventures - I LOVE comments!