Pumpkin butter

My husband asked me if I'd ever tried pumpkin butter before. And while it sounded intriguing, I wasn't so sure that it sounded yummy and I was rather reluctant to try it. Although it's the season for pumpkin flavored EVERYTHING, I'm not that big on it. I like the first pumpkin spice latte of the season, and pumpkin pie when it's holiday time, but that's about it! It's really just not my thing. 

Because I absolutely love my husband to death, I agreed to making him a batch of pumpkin butter and told him to call his mom for the recipe. My mother-in-love makes some pretty awesome food, including her own home made custards, which I really need to get the recipe to! It can't hurt to make something my husband grew up with, that Mum made, just for old time's sake.


Her original recipe was 
1 15oz can of pumpkin 
1 stick of unsalted butter
1 tsp each- clove, nutmeg, ginger and cinnamon

I wasn't feeling it. It didn't even taste like pumpkin. It honestly was just blah!

So, I tweaked. I added a little bit of brown sugar, just a table spoon at first. Meh. Still wasn't what either of us thought it should be. 
Part of the reason I think, was that there were lumps of butter and lumps of pumpkin and bits of seasoning that just wasn't incorporated.

I got a little experimental, cause well at this point, it could only get better, right???

I popped some of the mixture into the microwave on half power for a minute, and stirred it up well. It was nice and warm, and it melted all the butter and the pumpkin thinned out some. So I warmed up about half of the mixture, to warm warm. Not hot, but not just "eh, warm" either. I added the warm stuff into the bowl of my stand mixer, and started beating everything together. It turned such a pretty creamy color that smelled wonderful. 

It still lacked in flavor though. Normally in my mind, I associate pumpkin with either savory, like roasted pumpkin, or sweet, like pumpkin pie. "Pumpkin butter" kind of struck an "it should taste sweet" note in my head, so I went searching in my cupboard. Agave nectar would be too sweet, and I don't think the pairing of pumpkin and Agave would taste real well. Stevia has too much of an artificial sweetener taste in my mind, and I thought it would surely ruin it. I already tried a bit of brown sugar, and traditionally brown sugar is what is paired with things in the gourd family like pumpkin and squash. What you don't necessarily see paired with pumpkin a lot, is honey. Quality honey is something you should always have on hand, and it never goes bad! (Yes, it crystalizes, but if you boil a pot of water, and pour it into a bowl that has your honey bottle/jar in it-always vent your lid- it softens it back up like it is fresh again.) 

I decided to add a little of both, until it tasted like what my mind said it should. I also added just a smidge of cinnamon, about 1/2 a teaspoon more. 

What we came out with in the end after adding another half stick of Salted butter- because unsalted is a crime in my house- was delicious...


1 15oz can of pumpkin
1.5 sticks (aka 3/4 cup) of salted sweet cream butter
1 teaspoon each of clove, ginger, and nutmeg
1.5 teaspoons of Cinnamon
1/4 cup brown sugar
and 2 tablespoons of honey.

Cream 1 stick of the butter to a whipped consistency (Stand mixer, med speed 5 minutes, scraping the bowl a couple times) melt the half stick.
Add about half the pumpkin to the creamed butter, and once it's fully incorporated, add the melted butter. 
If the butter wasn't warm enough to help the other to melt, pop the pumpkin in the microwave for a few seconds, just until warm, and then beat it in to the mixture. 
Add in your brown sugar and spices, and then your honey. Beat for several minutes on medium speed, until everything is combined. Don't forget to scrape your sides down! :D

Put in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator. It's delicious on a warm tortilla- found here. 
I personally liked it spread on my morning bagel as well. 

Enjoy!