Two pumpkin recipes so close to each other? Yes, I know this is a little out of character for me given my preference for sweet potatoes over the gourd (especially when it comes to pie). However, I made a slight snafu when I was preparing my recent pumpkin cookie recipe—I initially tried creaming the butter, sugars, and puree all at the same time. The issue this caused is a non-uniform mixture where I could see pieces of butter floating around. Instead of just chugging along anyway, I did the proper thing of setting this mistake aside and starting over with just creaming the butter and sugar. My mistake sat in the fridge for a couple of days taunting me while I tried to figure out what to do with it. I was then struck with a little inspiration (in the form of the weekly Food52 newsletter) and settled on pumpkin butter. The cooking of the sugars provide a nice caramel undertone to the finished product, which I balanced with a nice dose of sea salt (any salt will do). Lastly, you can flavor your pumpkin butter however you like. I added a dash of ground allspice to mine, but any mix of nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, or even cayenne would yield delicious results—let your creativity run free! The pumpkin butter works great as a spread on toast, as a dip for apples, or licked off your finger.
Ingredients:
- 3/4 cup pumpkin puree
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup (dark) brown sugar
- 1 Tbsp. + 1 tsp. sea salt
- 1/2 tsp. ground allspice
Procedure:
- Place all ingredients into a nonstick saucepan. Put over medium low heat and cook for approximately 15 minutes, stirring frequently. Be careful not to let the sugar burn or you’ll end up with a bitter product.
- Cool and enjoy.
The next time you make a mistake in the kitchen follow these three steps:
- Dust off your shoulders.
- Repurpose whatever food you have for a different recipe.
- Say bye to all the haters.
I need this in my life!