Pumpkin pie is so good, you might wonder why do we only get it a couple times a year. Typically we only indulge in the fall and winter months, and then move on to berries and other fodder for pastry when things warm up. Most people only eat pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving and Christmas. Why, you ask? Pumpkin pie is a custard and very temperamental. It’s the hardest type of pie to bake. But now, you can have a little taste of pumpkin pie every morning on your toast. Enter pumpkin pie butter.
The good news is, pumpkin butter is as easy as, well, pie to make. While it doesn’t have the full, eggy texture of pie, it has notes of custard. And you can play with the spices to suit your own taste.
The only bummer is, tried as I might, I couldn’t find enough resources to allow this recipe for canning. Water bath canning winter squash puree isn’t safe, so they don’t recommend canning pumpkin butter, even though it’s thinned out with other ingredients. I see small canneries putting by these kinds of recipes, but maybe they have special equipment. It’s not considered safe for the home canner, but I’m not done researching to see why it cannot be pressure canned. It’s not that thick.
Chunked pumpkin is safe for pressure canning. I put up probably 18 quarts of this last winter, as a friend gave me 38 sugar pumpkins!
Besides canning, I also made pumpkin powder, which rehydrates back into puree just like my sweet potato powder. It’s like magic! I also froze several packs of pumpkin.
This recipe makes about 2 1/2 pints. I vacuum sealed a pint jar for the fridge, and we are using the other containers with breakfast. These would make great gifts!
Pumpkin Pie Butter
2 15 ounce cans of pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
3/4 cup of apple cider
1 cup, plus 2 TBSP of brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
Combine all ingredients in slow cooker, and cook on low for 3 hours, or until mixture thickens and flavors meld. Store in refrigerator.
This pumpkin pie butter looks so delicious, I can’t wait to make it!!