How to Make Pumpkin Butter

Last year I found a fabulous recipe on a raising homemakers linkup for making Pumpkin butter, but alas, after we moved I lost it and unfortunately I have not been able to find the old recipe online.

However after combing the Internet I've discovered most pumpkin butter recipes are essentially the same.

Pureed Pumpkin + Something Sweet + Pumpkin Spices + Heat = Yum

I've seen recipes that called for white sugar, brown sugar, or honey.

Since I didn't have enough of any of those ingredients on hand last week when I wanted to make some, I used Pure Homemade Maple Syrup, to great effect! 

I'm pretty convinced this is one of those fool proof recipes, that can be doctored to personal taste but here's the basic rundown.

• Start with three parts pumpkin to one part sweetener (Sugar, brown sugar, syrup, honey or a combination)
• Begin heating the mixture on medium heat, stirring frequently.
• Add your pumpkin pie spices: cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg.  Go easy on the ginger and nutmeg adding only a dash at a time and tasting as you go, these can be overwhelming spices.  You can omit them entirely and just use cinnamon if you'd like.
• Continue stirring, and taste after 5 or so minutes.  Is it too sweet? Add more pumpkin.  Too bitter? Add more sugar.  Missing something? Add more cinnamon or other spices.  To spicy? Add more pumpkin and sugar.
• Your pumpkin butter should spend about 10 minutes total heating.
• It will stay good about a week in the refrigerator, if it makes it that long.

Be sure to reserve extra pumpkin, and whatever you're using for sweetener and taste as you go.  Everyone has a different sweetness preference.  Just keep tasting and adjusting your recipe. 

Pumpkin butter tastes splendid on muffins, biscuits, toast, ice cream, and a myriad of other things.

I highly recommend roasting your own pumpkins, the flavor is truly amazing, and if you're looking for more great pumpkin recipes this fall I've started a list of my family favorites and will hopefully be updating it soon.

If anyone has any favorite pumpkin recipes include a link in your comment section and I'll add it to my list.  And if you're looking for more easy, realistic recipes  be sure to  Subscribe  or Like Lessons From Ivy on Facebook, so you don't miss a post.