Pumpkin Butter Recipe

Even though it's still in the 90's in Atlanta, I'm so excited about fall. This summer has been brutal and it's the first year I've really tried to limit my sun exposure. I'm looking forward to cooler weather where I can cover up and the skinny chicks near me will have to cover up too.

I found some Peach Butter and Pumpkin Butter at my local farmer's market. While I was in there I Googled some recipes and grabbed the ingredients to make my own pumpkin butter. There are several markets around that sell local produce but there is one that's probably the size of a Super Wal-Mart with nothing but food. It's a great place to buy produce, cheeses, and there's an enormous meat counter if you're into that kind of thing. I found canned organic there as well as some of the bulk spices I'd need for the recipe. I'll just hang onto the jar of pumpkin butter I picked up for when I run out of the homemade goodness.

If you have a farmer's market or any market that sells bulk, you should take a few extra minutes to peruse the spice aisle. I've found spices for a fraction of the cost of the grocery stores. You can see some of the prices in my picture below. Granted, I don't know what I'll do with a half pound of ground cloves. For $2, I can think of something.

Yesterday I attempted my first batch of homemade pumpkin butter. I can tell this is something I'll make again this fall. By last night I had already gifted two jars of it. I used my big Williams-Sonoma Spoonula for this job and it worked perfectly. By using the spoonula and the slow cooker, it was a fairly small kitchen production. I love one pot masterpieces! I also recipes for stove top that takes about 30-45 minutes. I may try that next time. I'm also going to try making a similar version with orange zest. I'll let you know.

Pumpkin Butter

• 3 Cans of Pumpkin Puree...not Pumpkin Pie filling. The filling already has spices and other stuff added. I used organic.
• 1 cup of brown sugar, firmly packed. (Option: Use 1/2 cup of maple syrup and a 1/2 cup of brown sugar.)
• 2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon of freshly grated nutmeg. 
• 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• A big pinch of salt
• A big pinch or 1/8 teaspoon of ground ginger
• A big pinch or 1/8 teaspoon of allspice

Stir all of the ingredients into a slow cooker set on low heat. Because you are cooking it down you'll abandon the rule of leaving the lid alone. Stir at least once every 30 minutes to an hour the first 4 hours. The last 2 hours, leave the lid 1/4 to 1/2 off and stir every 20 minutes or so. It's important to keep the sides scraped down to prevent burning. By stirring so often you'll keep it reducing instead of allowing the top to dry and it to stay too wet underneath. Total cook time in slow cooker: 6 hours. 

I found these cute Ball jars in Target. It filled all 4 and I had enough left over to fill a small Rubbermaid container. I like the jars for sharing. I may transfer one to another Rubbermaid for freezing. I'll hang onto the jars for when I try to learn to can.

Peach Butter and Pumpkin Butter!

I found some Peach Butter in the Dekalb Farmer's Market yesterday. It's by Braswell's and made nearby in Statesboro, Ga. This stuff is amazing. It also comes in a cute little jar that I plan to re-use.

I try to save glass jars when I can and use them instead of my plastic storage containers when sending leftovers home with friends. This little glass will make a nice addition to my already cluttered glassware cabinet.

This morning I made my Oatmeal and instead of adding cinnamon and bananas I added a big tablespoon of peach butter. It was so good I'm rethinking my plans for dinner and trying to think of ways to add more of this deliciousness into my day.

If you'd like to order the Peach Butter, Braswell's has an online store full of goodies. Here is the PEACH BUTTER link. Georgia is the Peach State so you know the Peach Butter will be amazing.

I think I'll make some tea and add a teaspoon of the peach butter to sweeten it up. Don't fret, peach butter isn't actually butter, it's pureed peaches cooked down with sugar and seasoning until the flavor is concentrated. This is so smooth I think it will mix nicely.

Besides, playing tea mixologist for the rest of the day will give me something to do while I try my hand at making Pumpkin Butter in my crockpot. (I hear it is also good in coffee and just like having your own Starbucks in your kitchen.)

The house is starting to smell pumpkiny good. It takes several hours. I'll keep you posted and if it works out I'll post the recipe. My kitchen is too small and my patience too short to attempt using fresh pumpkins. I grabbed three cans of organic pumpkin puree while I was in the farmer's market and I'm using it instead. I'm all about the short cut.