Festive Lithuanian Apple Cheese Recipe

A sweet and unusual Christmas treat. Traditionally, homemade apple cheese is prepared in Lithuania for Christmas. Moreover, they do this in advance, two months in advance, because the cheese must acquire the desired consistency. It turns out sweet and very tasty. Try it!
cook time: 1440h
Logan Winslow
Festive Lithuanian Apple Cheese Recipe

Nutrition Facts (per serving)

128
Calories
2g
Fat
26g
Carbs
1g
Protein

Ingredients (8 portions)

Basic:

Sugar 350 g
Apples 1.5 kg
Cinnamon 1 tsp
Walnuts 50 g

Recipe instructions

Step 1

Step 1
How to make traditional Lithuanian homemade apple cheese? Prepare all the necessary products. You can use less sugar. It depends on the acidity of the apples. I have Antonovka, so I take the full amount.

Step 2

Step 2
Wash the apples and dry with a towel. They need to be cut into slices. There is no need to remove the skin at all. I first cut it into quarters, core it, and then cut it into wedges. The width of the slices is not critical here, since we will cook and chop them.

Step 3

Step 3
Place the chopped apples in a saucepan and add 2-3 tablespoons of granulated sugar and leave for 8 hours. The apples will release juice. It wonʼt be much, but it will be enough. The article on saucepans, link at the end of the recipe, will help you choose the ideal soup pot.

Step 4

Step 4
Place the pan with apples on the fire. Apples must be boiled until soft. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for about 20 minutes, covered, stirring occasionally.

Step 5

Step 5
The apples will become absolutely soft, like puree. Now they need to be cooled.

Step 6

Step 6
Next, puree the apples in a blender. You can also rub them through a sieve, but this will take a long time and the skin will get in the way. You can set aside some whole apples (about 2 tablespoons) and then put them in the boiled cheese. But they boiled too much for me, I didn’t do it.

Step 7

Step 7
Add the remaining sugar to the pureed mass and stir.

Step 8

Step 8
Place the saucepan with the puree over low heat. Stir the mixture from time to time.

Step 9

Step 9
The goal is to reduce the applesauce to half volume. When cooking, the puree puffs and spits a lot, be careful! When choosing dishes, keep this in mind — it is better to choose ones with high sides.

Step 10

Step 10
Gradually the puree will thicken, darken and begin to become viscous. It took me about 40 minutes. Add chopped walnuts, cinnamon and stir. If you have some whole apples left, add them now.

Step 11

Step 11
Put the puree back on the heat and continue cooking, but you will have to do this with continuous stirring. The mass is already quite thick, so it can burn. Cook the apple mixture for about 20 minutes. The puree will boil down even more and darken. Turn off the heat and cool the puree.

Step 12

Step 12
Line the bowl in which you will form the cheese with gauze folded in three or four layers. It must first be wetted and squeezed out well.

Step 13

Step 13
Place apple mixture on cheesecloth. I advise you not to cool it too much, mine froze and crumbled a lot. Compact with apple mixture.

Step 14

Step 14
Cover the mixture with the ends of gauze and remove from the bowl onto a board. Place a weight on top. Leave the future apple cheese in this form for a day.

Step 15

Step 15
After a day, remove the Christmas apple cheese from the cheesecloth and place it on parchment paper to dry. Apple cheese is dried for a long time — about 2 months, turning it over from time to time. Bon appetit!

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