Alice in the Kitchen

Pumpkin Butter… pumpkin pie in a cup!

I love the fall for a lot of reasons, one of which is all the pumpkin flavored goodies you can make and buy right now.  Although I have a few pumpkin recipes that will get made several times during the season (pumpkin cheesecake, pumpkin gooey cakes), I knew I wanted to make pumpkin butter at least once this fall.  This weekend afforded me the perfect opportunity, mostly because I had all the ingredients on hand INCLUDING apple juice because it was brought over to a party hosted at my house on Tuesday.  Normally I would never buy apple juice, nor would I be able to drink a whole container, but there was just enough left after the party to make a full batch of pumpkin butter – and if that’s not a sign it was time to make it, I don’t know what is!

This recipe is super easy and would make a great holiday gift.

• 1 29 ounce can pumpkin puree
• 3/4 cup apple juice
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar (could substitute with brown sugar but I’d use a little less to avoid getting it too sweet)
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Combine all the ingredients into a saucepan.

Stir well.

Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for at least 30 minutes.  The color will turn a little darker and the consistency will become more smooth.  Pour into containers and let chill.

To serve (assuming you don’t just want to eat it with a spoon), just spread it on muffins, bread, graham crackers – anything you like really.  This will keep for about a week in the fridge or for months in the freezer.

Happy Fall!