Half Baked Harvest's Six Ingredient Pumpkin Butter

  The flu has been making the rounds here in Kentucky. I've been down for the count for two weeks now and am just now starting to feel human again. My school district and the surrounding school districts are all closed for illness. Flu came early this year and it is no joke!

I was looking for a seasonal and easy recipe this week and this pumpkin butter fits the bills nicely! You can put all the ingredients into a slow cooker or let it simmer for hours OR you can put them in a saucepan on the stovetop and have this ready in about half an hour, which is what I did.

Pumpkin butter simmering on the stovetop smells like the holidays and is great to gift to neighbors and friends. It pairs well with good gouda cheese and is great on toast, biscuits, and/or crackers. It's also a great ingredient to use for baking. A quick visit to the Half-Baked Harvest site and you will find all manner of cookies, breads, and baked goods containing pumpkin butter. You might even see some here next week!

Six Ingredient Spiced Pumpkin Butter 

Recipe adapted from 

Makes about 4 cups

2 cans (15 ounce) pumpkin puree

1/3 cup apple cider

1/2 cup real maple syrup, plus more if needed to sweeten

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice 

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

Stovetop: In a medium saucepan, combine the pumpkin, cider, maple syrup, vanilla pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, and salt. Bring to a gentle boil over medium heat. Cook, stirring often until the pumpkin thickens slightly, but is spreadable, about 20-30 minutes. Taste, adding more maple syrup if needed to sweeten. Remove from the heat and let cool (the pumpkin butter will thicken as it cools). Transfer to glass jars and keep stored in the fridge for up to 1 month or in freezer safe containers for up to 3 months.

Slow Cooker: In the bowl of your slow cooker, combine the pumpkin, cider, maple syrup, vanilla, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, and salt, Cover and cook on high for 3-4 hours. During the last 45 minutes of cooking remove the lid to allow the pumpkin butter to thicken. Taste, adding more maple syrup if needed to sweeten. Turn off the heat and let cool (the pumpkin butter will thicken as it cools). Transfer to glass jars and keep store in the fridge for up to 1 month or in freezer safe containers for up to 3 months.

October Potluck @ IHCC