This recipe is a result of pure madness! First of all my brother-in-law purchased a plethora of dried fruits from an online retailer and upon trying said fruits he realized he did not like any of them. He disliked them so much that he “gifted” them to me, figuring that I will do something with them. I initially groaned at the thought of having pounds of dried fruits that I myself don’t really enjoy eating. I was like, “ok just leave them on the counter for now, I really don’t have room to spare in my baking cupboard right now.” He abandoned the bags of dried fruit like an unwanted child and disappeared into the night (he just went to bed, I’m being dramatic).
That night I didn’t have the patience to deal with the hoard of fruit so naturally I went to bed, I wasn’t very successful. I tossed and turned thinking about the fruit that was taking up my precious counter space. I thought about making granola bars or trail mix but I really wasn’t in the mood. Then for some reason in my sleep deprived mind I started thinking about when I put raisins into baked goods and how I plump them beforehand. Which led me to think, “can I rehydrate the fruit and make jam or fruit butter?”
This thought plagued my mind into the wee hours of the morning when I decided to finally get my butt out of bed and give up on sleeping. I shuffled to my computer tired but now I was on a mission. I looked for ideas on using banana chips and/or dried pineapple in baked goods. Of course, something that wasn’t the stereotypical idea but I found nothing that satisfied my brain. So I took a step back and looked at ways to utilize these cursed banana chips. This led me to an interesting article that was published during The Great Depression. It laid out ways to rehydrate ,specifically, banana chips and use them in a variety of recipes ranging from oatmeal to banana pancakes. I was flabbergasted! I couldn’t believe that banana chips were utilized during The Great Depression to elongate the shelf life of bananas. This new piece of information cemented itself inside my brain and convinced me that I could possibly turn these dried, unwanted fruits into a preserve worth eating. I decided on trying to make something I’ve been wanting to make for a very long time, Monkey Butter.
Now I know what everyone is thinking, what is Monkey Butter? I thought that too when I first came across this in a vintage cookbook. Monkey Butter is basically a thick fruit jam that has banana, pineapple and coconut in it, definitely has a strong tropical vibe. That’s why in my rendition of Monkey Butter I spiked it with spiced rum. The sweet and spicy notes of a good rum makes this jammy product sing! All the flavors together are very reminiscent of a Pina Colada with its creamy texture. It’s perfect for toast, pancakes or if you’re really feeling ambitious you can mix it with whipped cream to have an easy no-bake pie. Can you say yum?!
Once the fruit is mostly broken down, blend the mixture with an immersion blender until it resembles applesauce. It won’t be completely smooth but there shouldn’t be any large chunks of fruit remaining. Stirring constantly, continue cooking on medium heat until it thickens and most of the water is gone, about 5-8 minutes.
From here your Drunken Monkey Butter is technically complete! You can store your Monkey Butter in a glass jar or container. It will keep in the fridge for about 3 months.
However there is an extra optional step if you want a more custard-like consistency, I highly recommend this extra step!
For the smoothest texture, add your butter into a blender or food processor and blend until completely smooth. It will still have the tiniest pieces of coconut but otherwise it will have the consistency of a runny custard. Store in a glass jar or container and allow it to set up in the fridge at least overnight before using. In the morning you will be greeted with a velvety butter that’s positively divine.
*Notes:
Not too keen on the taste of rum? You can easily substitute the rum with more hot water to make it regular Monkey Butter.
If the rum concerns you when it comes to little ones don’t worry about it too much. The cooking process evaporates the alcohol just leaving the rum flavor behind.
