Pumpkin Butter

Is pumpkin still “in”? Yes? No? Anyone?

According to Trader Joe’s it’s looooong gone baby and won’t be back until next year. Lucky for me, I have a Gristedes across the street and was able to snag a huge can. Phew. Yes, pumpkin might be more of a fall flavor than a winter one (HOW IS IT DECEMBER ALREADY?!) but I still love it, and will use any excuse (it’s cold out?) to make pumpkin treats.

I don’t know what inspired my sudden need to make pumpkin butter, but I’ve been seeing a lot of bloggers posting about different variations – apple and pumpkin namely – so I decided to take a stab. The good news is, it’s really easy. The better new is that it’s DELICIOUS. It’s a pumpkin dessert in a jar. I plan slathering this stuff on muffins, bread, pancakes and (most importantly) adding it into my oatmeal. This morning I added a tablespoon into my bowl of steel-cut oats and it was a hit. What’s not to love about pumpkin anything?!

What You Need (adapted from Smitten Kitchen):

• 1 can pumpkin puree (29 oz — large can!)
• 3/4 cup apple juice
• 1.5 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 3/4 C sugar (I cut back on the sugar from her original recipe as I didn’t want it super sweet.)
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• Juice of half a lemon

What To Do:

• Combine everything but the lemon in a large saucepan and stir well.
• Bring everything to a boil, cover (leave lid ajar), lower heat, and let simmer for 45 minutes, stirring frequently.
• After 45 minutes, taste, and adjust spices to taste.
• Remove from heat, add lemon, stir and let cool.
• Pour into mason jar/old jam jar and keep refrigerated between uses.

Pumpkin Bread

i LOVE PUMPKIN. seriously! i love it in everything, with everything, always always always.

i made the pumpkin chocolate chip squares a few days ago for the potluck, and had some pumpkin leftover. i didn’t want to let it go to waste, so i searched for recipes to use it in and alas, came across this pumpkin bread recipe from, you guessed it, PPK.

this recipe is another really easy, idiot proof shindig. you basically throw everything into a large mixing bowl, put into two loaf pans, and 90 minutes later – voila – pumpkin bread!

the verdict? stuff was GOOD. really moist (thank you, coconut milk!) and i loved the addition of coconut flakes and toasted walnuts. the recipe also made A LOT of pumpkin bread (TWO LOAVES). mmmmm, if you’re in the mood for something pumpkin-y definitely make this! best part? it’s not TOO sweet (like the pumpkin chocolate chip squares, for example), so this would be perfect for breakfast, or even a snack.