Pumpkin Butter in the Crock Pot

Let’s hang on to fall flavors just a bit longer, shall we? You’ve seen loads of canned pumpkin at the grocery store and there is more to it than pumpkin pie. Stock up on a few extra cans before they disappear. Better yet, start with a (real!) pumpkin, roast it and then puree it to use in this recipe and many others. Some pumpkins are better for cooking than others. The small, pie pumpkins are suitable for cooking. Neighbors of mine gave us a few pumpkins from their garden which again confirms that food grows without trouble in Colorado and the fact that nothing grows successfully at my house is a reflection on me and not the soil/altitude/weather/etc. Maybe I’ll have better luck next year but I’ll choose kind neighbors over a plentiful garden any day! I knew I wanted to use their pumpkins in the kitchen to return the favor. I started with this pumpkin butter and also made a pumpkin bread. They were happy to see their garden labor transformed into such goodies!

To make a pumpkin puree I followed The Pioneer Woman’s lead, click here for more details. It didn’t take much effort and was very satisfying to end up with homemade puree. The crock pot does the remainder of the work to cook the puree, along with some sugar and spices, down to a smooth and flavorful butter-like spread.

Ingredients:
3 cups pumpkin puree
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 freshly ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:
Put all of the ingredients into the crock pot. Cook on low for 3-4 hours.
Refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.