Homemade Kombucha Apple Butter

You’ll never want to buy store-bought apple butter again once you try this recipe.

When I started brewing kombucha, the first flavor I tried was apple cinnamon chai. The apples are my favorite fruit to infuse in kombucha because it takes the flavor well. It tastes like you’re eating apple cider apples once it’s all done. It’s a new hobby I took up while mostly staying at home during the Covid-19 pandemic. It doesn’t take much time at all and it does the work on its own. Find my recipe for Apple Cinnamon Chai Kombucha.

Honeycrisp apples are my favorite apples to infuse because their already sweet flavor makes the apple butter much sweeter. I personally leave the peels on for more fiber because I enjoy all parts of the apple.

It tastes great on pretty much anything, including:

• Bread

• Pancakes

• Cookies

• Muffins

I used the apple butter in a filling to create apple cinnamon chai muffins and holy wow! I don’t eat muffins often, but these are worth the calories. The best part is making a glaze out of powdered sugar and the kombucha. It’s really simple and takes these muffins to the next level. The first time I tried making these muffins with almond flour and no eggs came out flat and I ended up cooking the muffins on a high temperature to make a cookie instead.

I spread them on my almond flour pancakes as an alternative to having syrup. I promise you won’t miss the syrup when you spread apple butter on your pancakes.

If you want to can this recipe to store for the fall, put it in a closed mason jar and store in boiling water for 10 minutes until you hear a popping sound. Store in a cool, dry place like your basement when you’re ready to eat. Personally, I didn’t do this step because I wanted to eat it right away.

Or, if you’re hungry any time of the day, the apple butter creates a quick snack on a piece of bread. Simply, throw it in the toaster or air fryer and enjoy this spreadable treat. Try this apple butter on anything. It’s pretty versatile. I’d love to learn about what you spread your apple butter on for some more recipe ideas I can create for the RAD community. Find my recipe below and start your creating your master pieces.

Inspired by: https://bakingamoment.com/homemade-apple-butter/

Ingredients:

• about 4 pounds apples (roughly 9 medium-sized apples), peeled and cored

• 1 cup homemade Apple Cinnamon Chai Kombucha, divided (or just use apple cider NOT vinegar)

• A handful loosely packed light brown sugar

• 1 Tbsp. honey

• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

• 4 pods fresh cardamom

• ¼ teaspoon ground allspice

• 1-inch knob of fresh ginger from your Kombucha (or use a fresh one)

• Juice and zest of half a lemon (about 1 tablespoon)

Directions:

1. Place the all of your ingredients (except the lemon and a the kombucha) salt in a large pot, and cook over medium-low heat, uncovered, (stirring occasionally) until the apples have become very soft. The apples will be a bit watery at first because they have been infusing in the kombucha. I only added a little bit of kombucha at a time or else it will be too liquidy.

2. Use a hand blender to puree the mixture (or ladle it into a regular blender in batches) until smooth.

3. Place the puree back into the pot and continue to cook, uncovered, (stirring occasionally) until thick, velvety, and deep mahogany brown (about 1 hour).

4. Stir in the lemon juice and zest, transfer the mixture to jars, and keep refrigerated. It will last about a month (if it makes it that long)