How to Make and Preserve Monkey Butter
Monkey butter is a nutritious and delicious spread that can be the perfect alternative to peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. It is very easy to make, requires a few basic ingredients, and you have a couple of different options when it comes to storing the finished product. Follow the simple recipe below, and see how easy it is to make amazing spread.
Ingredients:
5 Perfect and ripe bananas (no deformities, no brown spots)
1 medium can (around 20 ounces) of crushed pineapple
¼ cup of coconut powder or flakes
3 tablespoons of lemon juice
3 cups of granulated sugar
Getting Started
Peel the bananas and cut them into very thin slices. You can decide on the level of thickness that you want, but thinner pieces tend to be easier to mix with the other ingredients during the cooking process. Place the banana slices in a stockpot and add all of the other ingredients. Bring the heat up until the water boils, and stir the mixture continuously.
Once the mixture is boiling, reduce to a simmer and keep stirring occasionally to avoid scorching. If all goes well, the ingredients will blend together as the sugar dissolves, and the banana slices will break down into a gooey texture with some remaining chunks. Turn off the heat and stir a few more times again to ensure that everything is blended thoroughly. This can take anywhere from 10-15 minutes.
Processing the Mixture
All you need to do is add the mixture to sanitized and heated canning jars. You can use quarts or pints depending on your preferences. Fill the jars until there’s about ½ inch of headspace before wiping down the rims and attaching the lid assemblies. You can now either store the jars in the refrigerator or freezer, or you can process them further in a water bath canner. If you refrigerate or freeze the monkey butter, it should have a shelf life of about 4-7 weeks.
Canning them will significantly prolong their shelf life, but it will also change the color of the finished product. While this will not alter the taste of the spread, the pinkish color may appear to indicate that it has gone stale in storage. Don’t worry, the product is still good, and you can enjoy the butter for months.
To process the butter, place the sealed jars in the water bath canner for 15 minutes, adjusting for altitude. Remove the cans and allow them to cool until reaching room temperature. Inspect each jar for defects or poor seals before labeling and dating the ones that pass the test. Store in a cool and dry place, and make sure that you consume all of the product in one sitting once it has been opened.
While this butter is sweet (you can reduce the sugar content to your liking), it is highly-nutritious and provides for an excellent snack. It can also be a fantastic topping for a range of desserts, and you can also add a dab to your favorite cereal. Monkey butter is a great example of how you can add some sweetness to your long-term food stockpile, and the comfort it can provide during a long-term crisis may be worth its weight in gold. Try this recipe for yourself today, and feel free to improvise with other ingredients that are safe for long-term storage.
