We are almost to perfect Fall weather here in Minnesota.
Apples are ripening.
Leaves are on the ground.
That crisp fall feeling is in the air.
So close to nonstop sweater weather.
I just want Fall to be here really badly. In part because of all the things above but also because everywhere I go seems to have that warm comforting smell of baked goods. Right now it is mainly apple related things but soon enough we will be bombarded with pumpkin and pumpkin spice every where we look. I have already been seeing some adverts since back in August.
Right now, since school has just begun, I don’t have time to start baking anything myself quite yet. I need to really get into the swing of things and get a handle on my work before I take a couple of hours to mess around in the kitchen.
But just because I don’t have the time to bake doesn’t mean that I can’t still make my own warm apple creation. Which if you can tell from the title is probably not the first thing you would expect when you think of an apple smoothie.
Because the temperatures are really starting to drop, I have not been able to will myself to drink a cold smoothie in the morning before I go out into cold weather. I would be shivering by the time I get to class. But instead of sticking with my standard oatmeal, I decided to give making my own warm smoothie a try.
At the beginning of the month, one of my friends brought me to a restaurant that serves warm smoothies and it was a life changing experience. I had never even heard of warm smoothies before but it was so good. Even though it was basically the same ingredients as a lot of smoothies I have had, it was a completely different taste.
Not surprisingly, warm smoothies use essentially the same process as a normal chilled smoothie does, but instead of adding ice in, the liquid and some of the ingredients are heated up before or after blending. Some even say that the ingredients can heat up if you blend them for long enough.
The same principles also apply to whether or not you want a thicker or thinner smoothie even though it’s now heated. If you have always been a fan of thicker smoothies, reduce the liquid that you use in the recipe and if you like a thinner more juice-like consistency, add a bit more. I have always preferred an in-between thickness. This is great for all of you because if you are on either end of the spectrum you only need to change the liquid amount slightly to get your desired smoothie.
When making this recipe, feel free to change up which of the ingredients you heat up.
I personally, like the way that the sugars in the apples and bananas begin to caramelize when they have been heated up. By doing it this way it also gives the smoothie a much sweeter and rich taste, more similar to an actual apple pie.
But if you do not have time or prefer not to do this, you can also simply heat up the liquid and keep the fruit at room or a chilled temperature. If you choose this way, you may need to heat the smoothie after it is all blended but you will still be able to get that warm delicious taste.
- 2 medium apples, chopped roughly
- 1 banana
- 1 1/2 cup almond milk
- 1/2 cup rolled oats
- 2 medjool dates, pitted
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- Pinch of all spice
- Pinch of ground cloves
- Pinch of ginger
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- Splash of vanilla
- In a blender, combine all ingredients and blend until a smooth consistency is reached.
- Remove from blender, place in a microwave safe glass or bowl and heat for 30-45 seconds, stirring every 15 seconds until desired temperature is reached.
- Take the glass/bowl out of the microwave, pour into two separate glasses, top with additional apple pie spice and granola and enjoy.
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