Pumpkin Butter

Nothing brings out the pumpkin hoarder in me more than cold weather. With the average temperature hovering around 40 degrees we haven't even begun to see winter but that didn't stop me from stocking my pantry with 5 industrial sized cans of pumpkin. I can't help it, I discovered what Fall was like without pumpkin last year and I'm determined to never have that happen again.

I think my skin has started to take on a semi-permanent fake-tan orange hue due to the copious amounts of pumpkin I have consumed in the past couple of months. So if that makes you jealous, which it totally should, make this and enjoy spreading it on toast, dipping cookies into it, and my favorite, stirring it into oatmeal. 

I have to say I am impressed with everyone's anatomy knowledge, if you said the bones I had pictured in my last post were the radius and ulna you were correct!

I saw this recipe over at A Busy Nest a couple of days ago and have been thoroughly enjoying the delicious results of my healthified creation everyday for breakfast and dessert since. I didn't have whole pumpkins to roast so I went with the canned version and I halved it (an unnecessary task seeing how I made another batch about two days later). I also tweaked the amount of spice and type of spices to fit my tastes. I had a gigantic bag of Splenda waiting to be opened so that was used to make this semi sugar-free but use any type of sweetener you would like, including real sugar if that's how you roll. I would have put nuts in or on top of it but I am fresh out of anything suitable. I didn't think peanuts would go over so well.

 I am utterly incapable of following directions or recipes, I know.

Adapted from A Busy Nest's Pumpkin Butter with Toasted Pecans

1 29 oz can pure pumpkin puree

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

allspice

ginger

juice from 1 medium lemon 

3/4 cup granulated Splenda
1 heaping tablespoon Splenda brown sugar

Combine all ingredients in a medium sauce pan

*I strongly encourage you to add spices little by little and taste as you go to determine where the spice sweet spot lies for you. Plus it's a perfect excuse to eat copious amounts of it while it's warm.*

Heat over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally for 1-2 hours until enough water has evaporated out of the mixture that it has thickened and decreased in volume by about 1/3 or 1/2.

*Alternatively use your crock-pot or slow cooker on the low setting for a couple more hours. I was just too impatient to wait.*

While still warm spoon into jars or a plastic container and store in the fridge for 1-2 weeks, if it lasts that long.

Servings 8

Per serving (2 tbsp) 35 calories