Someone explain to me how it’s only November and we’ve already dropped into subzero windchill temperatures…. Ohhh Ohio how you love to keep us on our toes. Or our toes freezing off. Whatever. Regardless of these winter-like temperatures I’m determined that it’s still fall. In fact, we still have our little clay Jack-o-Lantern sitting outside in the flower bed. Although you’d never know it since the poor little guy is covered in snow… Poor guy. With these frigid temperatures, I’ve been keeping warm by making some comforting fall foods and this Crockpot Pumpkin Butter is no exception.
Before and after…. WOW! That is some caramelized goodness.
The term pumpkin “butter” or apple “butter” has always confused me. Is it butter? Is it fruit? Do I care? Really, it’s just a delicious spread that tastes good on everything. The scary part about buying pumpkin butter from the store is that a lot of times sugar is the first ingredient, yikes! Or heaven forbid you pick up one containing the evil Mr. High Fructose Corn Syrup. Dun dun dun. Scary, right? SO. I did some research and found a recipe that I can make in the crock pot. Holllaaaa easy homemade pumpkin butter! You can find the original recipe over at Tasty Yummies and Beth even has some adorable printable labels if you want to gift your pumpkin butter. Too cute!
Just a note on gifting this pumpkin butter… This is not a recipe that can be canned or preserved in the traditional sense where it can sit on the shelf for months. Commercial factories can generate enough heat and pressure to pull this off but your average home cook simply cannot. This means that when you gift it, make sure there’s an expiration date on the jar or you let them know to eat it quickly. The fridge life of the pumpkin butter is about 3 weeks from date of creation, but don’t worry- there’s no way it’ll last that long!
I put this spread on so many things… Really I was just looking for an excuse to eat it without the embarrassment of spooning it directly into my face hole. Toast, homemade pumpkin waffles (recipe later? hmm), crackers, sammies, in a smoothie, and even in/ on oatmeal! Try this. You will NOT be disappointed.
This pumpkin butter is the perfect fall treat or gift! And the best part is no refined sugar means you can spread it on all your favorite snacks without all the guilt!
Ingredients
- 2 15oz. cans organic pumpkin (NOT pumpkin pie filling)
- 1 cup local honey or maple syrup
- 1/2 cup no-sugar-added apple cider
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 1 1/2 Tbs ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
- 1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp ground allspice
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
- 1/4 tsp salt
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a 6-quart crock pot and set to low.
- Cook for 5 hours, scraping sides and stirring every 30 minutes.
- Continue to cook for 2-3 more hours, scraping sides every 15-20 minutes or more until very thick. Watch very carefully for the last few hours as the sides burn easily. The spread will continue to thicken as it cools. Enjoy!
P.S. Thought you guys might want to see what goes down after a food photo shoot… Snack time! 🙂
