This is really squash butter, but pumpkin butter sounds better. Like apple butter this has a smooth velvet consistency. Unlike apple butter this cooks in about 1/2 hour and doesn’t need to cook down for hours to gain that sought after consistency.

When I cook a squash I almost always have leftovers so I am always looking for ways to use squash up. I had roasted a kabocha squash earlier this week and had lots leftover so I made this pumpkin butter ( I still have some leftover!). This comes together really quickly and tastes like Fall in a jar.

Ingredients
2 cups cooked pumpkin or any winter squash
1 to 1 1/2 cups unsweetened apple juice you need to adjust the amount depending on how dry or moist your pumpkin is)
2 teaspoons of you favorite pumpkin spices I used ginger and allspice
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup pure maple syrup or more brown sugar if you don’t have any maple syrup

Instructions
Combine all ingredients in a heavy-bottomed, deep, medium saucepan. I mashed my squash into the other ingredients with a potato masher. In hindsight I should have used an immersion blender or blended it in a food processor. Cook everything on medium-high until it comes to a soft boil, add apple juice if it is too dry. Place a lid over the pan, leaving it tilted to let the stem out. The mixture will be very thick and splatters like thick  spaghetti sauce. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Again, add  apple juice if the mixture is too thick. It will be really shiny and smooth and smell like pumpkin pie when it is done.
Store in airtight jars in the refrigerator up to two weeks. You can freeze the pumpkin butter too.

I had it on oatmeal this morning.

Have a great week. I’ll see you at pickup trying to stay warm and dry.

Mo