Foodie Fridays: Apple Pie Smoothie

I topped my smoothie with a decadent dollop of whipped cream!

I modified a recipe I found online for an Apple Pie Smoothie, substituting apple butter for applesauce to use up a jar of the former that has been sitting in our pantry for a while.  Actually, we have several jars, because my husband loves apple butter and keeps buying more as he always thinks that we are out.  Even though we have discussed this several times, more jars of apple butter still keep accumulating in the pantry - but I digress. Anyway, this recipe is a delicious way to use up apple butter, and smoothies are an excellent warm weather breakfast, or even a dessert.  I think I will be making quite a few more of these smoothies in the near future since I have so much apple butter at my disposal!

Apple Pie Smoothie

4 ice cubes
1 ripe banana
1/2 C. unsweetened apple butter* or applesauce
1/2 C. vanilla or plain yogurt
1/2 C. apple juice
1 T. sugar (optional)
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. allspice

Put all ingredients into a blender.  Blend until smooth.  Pour into a glass and enjoy!  Serves 1.

*The apple butter I used contains no sugar, only apples and apple juice, but most commercial apple butters are heavily sweetened with sugar.  If you use the sugary sort, try reducing the amount of apple butter by half, using plain instead of vanilla yogurt, leaving out the sugar (which I did anyway), and/or even using water instead of apple juice to reduce the sweetness.   Or just use unsweetened applesauce as called for in the original recipe.  Unless of course you prefer a very sweet smoothie, in which case use all the sweet stuff you like!  Also, most apple butters contain some spices, so you may also want to adjust the seasonings accordingly.