This delicious pumpkin butter makes the perfect holiday gift. It's a great way to use up all those fall pumpkins that have been sitting on the back porch since Halloween or the extra cans of pumpkin puree collecting dust on your pantry shelves.
My pumpkin patch is overflowing, so I have had pumpkin overload with homemade soup, pie, bread, ravioli; I think you catch my drift.
The recipe below calls for canned pumpkin puree, which by and large is easier. You just have to scoop the puree into the pot! But if you do have pumpkins sitting around, don’t let them go to waste. One medium-sized (about 4-pound) pumpkin yields about 1 ½ cups mashed pumpkin (which is just under 15 oz). I used half of a larger pumpkin for the recipe.
First, I cut the pumpkin into small-enough pieces to put on a baking sheet skin side-down. I brushed melted butter on the flesh of the pumpkin and baked it at 375 degrees for about an hour. I allowed the flesh to cool and then scooped it into the pot with the rest of the ingredients found in the recipe below.
The butter tastes great on pancakes Christmas morning.
1 Pumpkins from my patch
2 Pumpkin starts to roast.
3 Delicious!
4 Making the pumpkin puree.
5 Such a smooth, creamy consistency.
6 Bring the mixture of pumpkin, apple cider, and spices to a boil.
7 Warm spices like ginger, cloves, and cinnamon add flavor.
8 Jarring the butter.
9 Add charming labels and ribbon to the jars for the perfect holiday gift.
Spiced Pumpkin Butter
Makes 5 to 6 cups
2 15-ounce cans pumpkin puree
3/4 cup apple cider or apple juice
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1-1/4 cups caster (superfine) sugar
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1. Place all the ingredients in a heavy-bottomed pot, stir to combine, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, uncovered. Lower the heat and simmer 40 minutes, stirring frequently.
2. Ladle the hot pumpkin mixture into sterilized jars, leaving 1/4 inch of space at the top. Remove any air bubbles by gently shaking the jars and wipe the rims clean. Cover tightly with the lids.
3. Submerge the jars in a large pot of water; the water should cover the jars by 1 inch. Bring the water to a boil and boil the jars for 10 minutes to seal them. Remove the jars from the pot using tongs. Let cool.
4. Store the unopened jars in a cool, dark cupboard for up to 6 months. Once opened, the pumpkin butter will last in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
Anna Getty, is the eco-editor of Pregnancy Magazine and a mother of two, green-living educator, Kundalini yoga teacher, and author. She has penned two lifestyle books with Chronicle Books, I'm Dreaming of a Green Christmas and Anna Getty's Easy Green Organic. Anna recently moved with her family to Tuscany, Italy, to pursue a simple and organic country life. Please visit her website at AnnaGetty.com.
