This pumpkin butter was really easy to make and resulted in a tasty spread that I am donating to a craft fair to benefit Shakti Rising. Who says you have to pay for gourmet?
Some uses for this fabulous spread:
- On toast (with cream cheese – an absolute favorite in my dairy days)
- Swirl with cream cheese and serve with bread or crackers for a holiday party
- As a topping on vanilla ice cream
- Thin with water or apple juice and drizzle over waffles, french toast, or pancakes
- As a sauce for baked apples
- Stir it in yogurt for breakfast, top with chopped walnuts
- Use instead of pumpkin in pumpkin muffins
- And whatever else your imagination can create (reply below with your ideas!)
Behold — the pumpkin butter:
- 15 oz. canned pumpkin
- 1 cup organic applesauce
- 1/3 cup sucanat
- 3/4 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp. freshly grated ginger
- pinch of cloves (up to 1/8 tsp)
- 2 tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
In a small pan, combine all ingredients and bring to a boil. Mixture will splatter – be careful! Upon boiling, reduce heat to low and simmer for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally as mixture thickens.
When mixture is very thick, remove from heat and let cool.
While spread is cooling, bring a large pot of water to a boil and boil jars and their lids to sterilize.
Spoon into tight-sealing jars and keep refrigerated for up to 2 weeks.
Aimee – that’s a great recipe with nothing but great ingredients, but… wouldn’t the heat kill some of the food value? Is there a low heat alternative to damaging enzymes, etc. during the cooking process?
Thanks.
DrD
Dennis,
Yes, the heat would kill the enzymes and likely much of the vitamin C, however, this is still a highly nutritious food. Several beneficial phytochemicals and antioxidants retain their integrity despite heat, and some have increased absorption when the cell wall is broken through cooking (lycopene is one of them).
Raw pumpkin has a texture that I do not know would lend itself well to a spreadable pumpkin butter. If you have a raw recipe for this spread, I would love to share it with others here!