I cannot consider any trip to the mall complete without a 20-minute detour in the over-priced-kitchen-store-that-will-not-be-named. We like to slowly creep along the aisles, pointing out $30 garlic presses and $100 pairing knives, and making mental notes of which products that we need to look-up online later (we rarely buy anything there unless we’re certain that we cannot find it cheaper elsewhere 🙂 ).

We bought a few jars of Muirhead Pecan Pumpkin Butter at said store last fall and used it for holiday baking. That stuff is terrific. I’m not the only fan – an entire loaf of pumpkin bread was gone before Thanksgiving dinner last year and the brie – oh my goodness, the brie (slather it on a wheel of baked brie, wrap it in puff pastry and devour). At $12 for less than 2 cups, it’s cost-prohibitive to load up for a marathon baking session or to just stand there and eat it with a spoon (another serving suggestion that I highly recommend).

The ingredients which make up the store-bought pumpkin butter couldn’t be easier to obtain: pumpkin, pecans, sugar, lemon juice, and spices. I whipped up a batch of pumpkin butter based (mostly) on those ingredients. And then I ate toast with pumpkin butter for lunch.

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Pecan Pumpkin Butter

A homemade version of the gourmet store favorite.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• 1/2 tsp lemon zest
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1/8 cup orange juice, freshly-squeezed
• 1 tsp orange zest
• 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
• 2 cups pumpkin puree (or canned pumpkin)
• pumpkin pie spice, to taste
• ground allspice, to taste
• cinnamon, to taste
• pinch of grated nutmeg

Instructions

1. Roast pecans in a 350 oven for 7 minutes, until browned and fragrant. Run the pecans through the food processor until finely ground (stop the food processor after most of the ground nuts stick to the side of the food processor bowl).
2. In a 2-qt sauce pan over medium heat, combine the citrus zests and juices and dark brown sugar. Stir until warmed. Add pumpkin, nuts, and spices. I began with 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice, 1/2 tsp ground allspice, a dash of cinnamon and passed the nutmeg over the grater 5 or 6 times.
3. Turn heat down to low and cook for 20-30 minutes, until thickened to desired consistency. Stir and taste for seasoning and sweetness occasionally. The pumpkin butter should keep 2-3 weeks in the fridge.

Notes

Yields: ~2 cups

Inspired by: Muirhead Pecan-Pumpkin Butter

Estimated time: 45 minutes