Last year my CSA pumpkin was turned into this pretty stuffed pumpkin and this year I wanted pumpkin butter. I read about Stephanie’s Pear Quince Butter and her technique for caramelizing the butter in the slow cooker with vanilla bean was genius. Inspired, I was ready to make pumpkin butter magic.
I have a large slow cooker and figured I’d need two pie pumpkins. My CSA farmer, Yvonne, generously gave me a second pumpkin after I told her what I was making and it just made my day. On a rainy Saturday morning I put all of the ingredients in the slow cooker and let it cook and caramelize for hours. Marc raked some leaves that Saturday afternoon and walked in the door, audibly sniffed and said, “What’s that smell? Christmas?” The house smelled amazing for days.
It takes a while to turn that bright orange flesh into the deeply caramelized butter pictured here, but the slow cooker does all the work and you’re rewarded with the most delicious pumpkin butter. Spread this gooey vanilla-scented pumpkin butter on thick toast, swirl it into your morning yogurt, oatmeal, porridge, etc. or dip apple slices into it. Last night I had a snack of honeycrisp apple slices dipped in pumpkin butter and then dunked again in peanut butter. Snack of my dreams!
Reserve those pumpkin seeds and get ready because next week I’m sharing a recipe for roasted pumpkin seeds that I think you’re going to love.
I want my house to smell like Christmas and I want that pumpkin butter-peanut butter on an apple situation in my belly. YUM.
PS thanks for the shout-out! 🙂
Of course! You definitely need that snack situation in your belly. It’s shockingly good 🙂
Mmmm this looks and sounds so much more delicious than the average pumpkin butter!!
That’s what I was going for, Sues! Pumpkin butter is always good, but this dark caramelized pumpkin butter is the best!
think this would work with apples? i have a ton of orchard apples dying to be used en masse, haha.
YES! I think that would be great, actually 🙂
That looks amazing! I love this idea and can´t wait to make it 🙂
ps got your name on 10th kitchen 🙂
xoxo
Thanks, Johlene! It’s nice to meet a fellow Danguole admirer 🙂
Oh my!! And yet ANOTHER reason to get a slow cooker—I honestly don’t know why I don’t have one. Maybe Santa will be kind and bring me one for Christmas this year.
You probably don’t have one because it’s not that fun to store, BUT it earns its keep during the cool fall and winter months 🙂