Maple Pumpkin Butter
If you’ve never made pumpkin butter, please set aside 30 minutes to make a batch of this Maple Pumpkin Butter. It’s like autumn in a jar.
This post first appeared October 5, 2014, as part of the Simple Sundays series. I hope you enjoy this favorite from my kitchen!
One Dozen Roses
He was standing at the corner, waiting to cross the street. One dozen red roses, still wrapped in plastic from Safeway, were in his wrinkled hands, and I watched him slowly step off the curb and cross the street into our neighborhood. I wondered what awaited him on the other side of the street. Was home just a few blocks away? Or a friend? Or was he headed to his car, to visit a loved one at the hospital?
As I watched this older gentleman cross the street, I imagined he was walking home to see his wife. It was her birthday, and he could not let the day go by without bringing her roses, like he does every year. She would smile at him and take his hand, squeezing it. And she would carefully trim the ends, and arrange them in the vase that was a wedding present, nearly 40 years ago.
I guess I’ll never know. But my heart just knows that those roses were meant for love.
Little does he know that he warmed my heart, too.
Maple Pumpkin Butter
I thought of this man shuffling across the street as I stirred this Maple Pumpkin Butter at the stove the other day. It brought a smile to my face as I inhaled deeply and the scent of autumn rose to greet me. The memory was as comforting as my first taste of the spiced pumpkin, and I poured it into jars to preserve for a little while.
Have you ever made homemade pumpkin butter? Now that I have a few jars in the refrigerator, I am finding my supply dwindling quickly. It’s going into lots of goodies (it goes deliciously with just about anything – cookies, cakes, toast, yogurt) but I like it best just swirled into a steaming bowl of warm oatmeal. A pumpkin-spiced breakfast warms my heart. It’s soulful, it’s comfortable, it’s understood. It’s like old love.
MORE PUMPKIN RECIPES TO TRY
Pumpkin Butter Smoothie
Recipe for Pumpkin Spice Cake
Pumpkin Sage Polenta
Brown Butter Pumpkin Blondies
Turkey Pumpkin Pot Pie
Maple Pumpkin Butter
Ingredients
- 2 cups pumpkin puree
- 1 cup apple juice
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon cloves
- 1 cup maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar optional, to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
- Stir all the pumpkin, apple juice, spices, maple syrup, brown sugar (if you prefer a sweeter pumpkin butter), and vanilla into a small saucepan.
- Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer. Cook for a total of 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the pumpkin butter has thickened.
- Pour the pumpkin butter into clean, sterilized jars. Store in the refrigerator.
- Serve over toast, in oatmeal, swirled in yogurt, or add to baked goods.
Notes
Nutrition
Comments
COOKBOOK
Hi there – how long does this last in the fridge once made? I appreciate it!
Hi Sara! The pumpkin butter lasts in the fridge 1-2 weeks! Enjoy!
Can this be canned? Want to add to my Christmas baskets … Thabk You
Hi Holli, such a good question. I love the idea of gifting the pumpkin butter, but current recommendations from both the USDA and the National Home Center for Food Preservation advise against canning pumpkin butter. Marisa over at Food in Jars explains it well in this post. However, pumpkin butter can be frozen, so if you can gift it to your friends reminding them to refrigerate it, then that is an alternative! I hope this helps.
Any thoughts on a substitute for apple juice? Unfortunately I can’t tolerate it ; would water be an option? Or maybe a smidge of OJ and water?
Hi Lindsay! I would try white grape juice, or something with a similar, neutral flavor. Hope that helps!
What a sweet story! Your maple butter looks so good, perfect swirled in oatmeal or on a muffin!
What a lovely story! I can see how this maple pumpkin butter would go quickly. I thinking this might make for some awesome homemade gifts this year!
Adorable story. Yummy pumpkin butter!
Who knew pumpkin butter was so easy mph this is getting made asap! Thanks for sharing. I sure hope he had someone he loved to go home to!