Good morning!
This weekend is our Canadian Thanksgiving, which seems strange to me after the weekend madness, but I am just happy that I am not the one preparing the entire meal this time. ;)
I have been thinking of something that I could bring for my in-laws that would make a fun Thanksgiving hostess gift. I didn’t feel like bringing cookies, pie, or something of that nature, so I put my thinking cap on and surfed the web for ideas.
And then it hit me like a ton of bricks pumpkins.
Happy Thanksgiving Homemade Pumpkin Butter
This was super easy to make and quite delicious. I doubled the batch below so I could have some to enjoy myself. This will be fantastic spread onto pancakes, toast, or even layered with Vegan Overnight Oats! The possibilities are endless, and I plan to find them all. ;) Note that I reduced the sugar by 1/3 of a cup as I didn’t want it super sweet. You can adjust the sugar and seasonings to your own taste of course.
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen.
Ingredients:
- 1 (29 ounce) can pumpkin puree, approx. 3 1/2 cups or fresh
- 3/4 cup apple juice
- 1/2-1.5 teaspoons ground ginger (optional, sometimes I omit)
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 cup Sucanat (or brown sugar)
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1-2 tsp fresh lemon juice
Directions:
1. Combine pumpkin, apple juice, spices, and sugar in a large saucepan and stir well. Bring mixture to a boil, covered with lid ajar (I prop it with a wooden spoon). Reduce heat to low-medium and simmer, covered with lid ajar, for 35-45 minutes, stirring frequently. Be careful as the mixture bubbles and pops!
2. Remove from heat and let it sit for a few minutes before removing lid. Adjust spices to taste. Stir in lemon juice. Once cool, pumpkin butter can be kept in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 weeks. Makes enough to fill one large mason jar or about 3.5 cups.
Note: Canning is not recommended.
Get your super cute Mason jar and set aside…
Dump everything into the pot except the fresh lemon juice. Once the mixture is cooked it will be thick and creamy!
Allow your pumpkin butter to cool before putting it into your Mason jar.
Wheeeeeeeee.
Now decorate your jar with curly ribbon and a tag…
Disgustingly cute, I would say.
Hmm, what is that white circle on top of the jar?
The recipe!
And there you have it.
A simple and quick hostess gift that can be enjoyed all season long. Just don’t forget to make a batch for yourself! ;)
This looks amazing! Did you process your jars in a hot water bath? I don’t have one, but this recipe makes me want to go buy one! You can never have too many fall flavors! : )
The jars were sanitized in the dishwasher, however I will be putting it in the fridge.
I’m so glad you just posted this because my sister and I are making some this weekend, now we have a recipe to use!
Super cute! For some reason, I had in my mind that making pumpkin butter would be some huge, drawn out process…you make it look simple enough that even I could give it a decent shot! ;)
Ahhh! LOVE LOVE LOVE that idea! Thanks, as ALWAYS, for the disgustingly cute idea, Angela!!
What a wonderful idea!! Do you have some recommended ways to use the butter? I would love to hear them!
A perfect dip for gingersnaps!
What a cute and delicious idea!
I will have to remember that one this year!
That’s a great gift. I love things in a jar.
Yay now I can finally try pumpkin butter! How long do you think this will last in the fridge? Whenever I open a can of pumpkin it tends to go bad within a week or two.
what an awesome idea for a gift. i can’t see myself giving any of this away though ;)
This looks like an excellent gift to make for myself :-)
I make mine with orange juice (recipe on my blog ‘kabocha jam) but I must try apple juice.
Have you tried making it using kabocha squash? Amazing.
Thanks for the recipe – I just made it, and it’s amazing! I’ll be serving it later with biscuits, but I just want to eat it now with a spoon! It’s so good, and a definite must-make for fall.
Thanks for the recipe! I am going to make this for friends/family as a fall treat! :)
super cute! love this idea, i think i’m going to steal it :)
Perfect!!! I have tons of pumpkin puree that I need to use but have run out of baked goods and oatmeal uses for it! I’m definitely going to make this.
This is so exciting and makes me eager for our Thanksgiving festivities next month. I have already been trying to plan out what special gift I can bring to my family this year, now that I am newly married and this looks like the perfect idea. Thanks so much for sharing! All of your recipes look delicious and make me want to run to my kitchen and bake my way through your blog.
So delicious! I just made a batch and stirred it into my oatmeal. I used half maple sugar, half brown sugar but I don’t think I would do it that way again as there isn’t much of a maple flavour.
This looks amazing!! You have totally inspired me. I was wracking my brains trying to think of something to bring to my inlaws as a hostess present when we visit them in Chicago in a couple of weeks.
Question: Do you think this would be shelf stable?? Like would it survive the plain trip in a carryon/checked bag? Thanks in advance!
I don’t think it would be shelf stable for long…
Hi Angela,
My name is Amanda Factor, and I am the online editor of Bunchland.com. I’d love to include this recipe in today’s newsletter and on our website, as we want to give our audience some pumpkin recipes. Please let me know if I can use this recipe and maybe some of your photos (credited, of course, with a link to your site). Thanks so much.
Just emailed you :)
Umm..I just made this and had to practice SERIOUS SELF CONTROL in order to not eat the entire batch out of the pot….wow…better than pie! I was supposed to make pasta for dinner but that’s been kiboshed…oats and pumpkin butter for dinner whee!!!