Though my husband and daughter were hoping I’d make another Impossible Pumpkin Pie, I had other plans for the squash that was leftover after I’d cooked the cushaw. (In case you missed the last post, a cushaw is a crookneck squash that is used like pumpkin.) I wanted to make pumpkin butter so that we could spread the taste of pumpkin pie on toast any time we wanted.
To make this a lighter version of pumpkin butter, I replaced some of the sugar with pureed raisins and added apple sauce to make it less starchy. I added spices to my taste, so feel free to taste and add seasonings as you go along. The cinnamon I use is a little stronger than most, so you may find that you need to add more.
Pumpkin-Apple Butter was a big hit with my daughter and her friend. They came home from school and saw it cooking on the stove–actually, they smelled it when they came in the door–and asked for some right away. Two pieces of toast later, they were still hungry for more. I don’t think the batch I made is going to last as long as I thought it would!
Pumpkin-Apple Butter
This version of pumpkin butter is lightened up with the addition of apples and raisins instead of some of the sugar.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup golden raisins
- 3/4 cup apple juice or cider
- 2 cups pureed pumpkin or other winter squash
- 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 3/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
- 1/2 cup natural apple sauce
- 1/4 cup agave nectar or other liquid sweetener such as maple syrup
- 1/4 cup sugar or other sweetener to taste
- pinch salt optional
Instructions
- Put the raisins in a medium-sized saucepan, and pour the apple juice over them. Heat on low until raisins plump up, adding water if they get dry. When they are plump, puree the raisins in the juice. (You may need to add a little water to do this; I used a hand blender and blended the pumpkin along with the raisins.)
- Return the pureed raisins to the pan and add all remaining ingredients. Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, for about an hour. Makes about 3 cups.
Someone asked in the comments for the Pumpkin Pie post about cooking the cushaw/pumpkin/squash. It’s really very easy. First, wash the squash well, scrubbing with a brush. Then if it has a long neck like a cushaw, cut that off and trim off the stem end. Cut the seed section of the squash in half, and scrape out the seeds and stringy parts. I’ve found that a serrated grapefruit spoon is perfect for doing this.
Once it’s cleaned out, cut the squash into sections that are 1-2 inches wide. Try to keep them the same size so they will cook at the same speed. Do the same with the neck section of the cushaw. Cook the pieces by steaming them in one of three ways: 1) pressure cook for 2-3 minutes at high pressure and then quick-release; 2) put them in a steamer basket set in a large saucepan on the stove for 20-30 minutes; 3) steam them in the microwave by putting them in a covered, microwaveable dish with a little water and cooking until tender (check it every 5 minutes until done). I used the pressure cooker, and in just 2 minutes at high pressure, the flesh was falling off the skin.
Wait until it’s cool, remove the skin, and mash or puree. Now you’re ready to proceed with any recipe that calls for cooked pumpkin or squash.
Or if you don’t want to go through all that trouble, follow Maria’s simple method for baking the whole thing in the oven!
SusanV
Comments were lost when the blog moved to WordPress in May. Here are the old comments from people who made the recipe:
12:33 AM, November 01, 2006
Diane said…
An idea for using the pumpkin butter…I stirred in a big spoonful into bowls of oatmeal and it was fabulous. I didn’t need to add any other flavoring to the oatmeal. At first I was worried that we would not be able to consume whe whole batch of pumpkin butter but now I need to make more. Great recipe!
5:04 PM, December 10, 2006
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~M said…
I have one cup of mashed butternut squash leftover … I think I’m going to make 1/2 this recipe with prune puree instead of the raisins and stir it into my quinoa breakfast cereal or brown rice. Yumm! As always, thanks, Susan!
10:05 AM, October 17, 2007
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Anonymous said…
Great recipe! It tastes great although I skipped sugar and instead of apple juice I added cooked apple puree.
I am going to try this warm pumkin butter with pancakes! Yummm…thank you Susan.
p.s.I am new here and it is your second recipe I have tried. The first one was lasagna.
Maria
8:27 AM, November 03, 2008
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Diane Kolack said…
I made this last night, doubling the recipe to use a whole butternut squash. I used brown sugar and maple syrup and some chopped apples in with the raisins instead of applesauce. Trader Joe’s apple cider added an amazing flavor to this.
I did run into some problems with the mixture bubbling and exploding all over the place. My solution was an upside down colander over the top of the pot, draped with a washcloth (to allow the steam to escape) with the pot’s lid on top so that the colander stayed put. This worked really well. And allowed it to cook down to a nice thick consistency.
2:30 PM, November 13, 2008
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mayacook said…
I discovered pumpkin butter last year and really loved it, unfortunately it doesn’t exist in France…or fortunately since my researches brought me here…
1:10 AM, November 20, 2008
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Jennifer said…
I made this last year using sugar in place of the agave nector and it was SOOO GOOD. I am making it now with the agave nector and its even better. I didn’t have applesauce so I cut up an apple and cooked/pureed it with the raisins, then added an extra bit of apple juice. Also, I used regular old brown raisins and they work fine too. Thanks for sharing this wonderful recipe! I’m going to have it on homemade spelt toast. Yummm!
11:24 PM, December 02, 2008
Christina
This looks amazing! I am always looking for new pumpkin recipes. I just can’t get enough of the stuff. 🙂 Would any adjustments need to be made if using canned pumpkin?
Thanks!
SusanV
I don’t think you’d have to cook it as long with canned pumpkin because so much of the liquid has been drained out. Just watch it closely to make sure it doesn’t burn. Good luck!
Rachael
It’s so funny, but just last weekend we went to a “fill your car” u-pick pumpkin patch and literally filled the car with pie pumpkins. My first thought was pumpkin butter, and now I don’t even have to hunt for a good recipe. Thanks, I can’t wait to make this!
dining table
Wow! I never thought of using apples and pumpkin together. Love it. I just tried some and it was awesome.
Joyce
Looking for a recipe for cushaw butter please help
Juliana
I wish I could do all these recipes but they seem a bit complicated …I mean I need all those ingredients and I never seem to have all of them in the house at the same time.
I love vegan food, especially vegan sweets but I’m not really good in the kitchen.
Kim M
I made this recipe this weekend. I subbed in honey for the sugar & used butternut squash instead of pumpkin/cushaw squash. It turned out wonderful. I had made some Banana Sultana muffins Saturday & this tastes wonderful on them. 🙂 Thanks so much for these recipes. They do wonders for my diabetic husband as well. Since his heart attack last November, we have become more whole foods/plant based & your blog has helped us right along.