Home Made Spiced Pumpkin Spread

We carved up the pumpkins today just in time for Halloween, and that meant a lot of pumpkin innards. I don’t really like throwing away perfectly edible ingredients and I just so happened to have seen a recipe for pumpkin spice. Now, I’m not big on pumpkin spice flavored things at all, I like pumpkin pie once in a while but the whole craze for it during the fall gets a little insane. But my husband likes it and often orders it at Dunkin’ Donuts so there is at least one person in my house who will eat it.

It’s also a great ingredient to keep on hand in making muffins and cookies and cake and frosting and pancakes and waffles… alcohol–really anything that you can imagine pumpkin flavored, this spiced pumpkin spread has a place. I added two ingredients to this which I think makes it taste much better–salted butter for a slight savory depth, and a drop of vanilla extract for some fruitiness. My husband, upon tasting it, proclaimed it amazing and immediately ferreted some into his cup.

Recipe

• 3 cups pumpkin innards (yes, the strings!) or 3 cups chopped pumpkin
• 1.5 cups sugar
• 1 tablespoon salted butter
• 1 drop vanilla extract
• 3 tablespoons ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 2 teaspoons ground nutmeg,
• 1 teaspoon allspice
• 1 teaspoon cloves

1. Separate the seeds from the innards and save seeds for roasted pumpkin seeds. Place all the ingredients in a food processor and puree until smooth.
2. Pour the puree into a saucepan and heat on low, covered for about half an hour, until the sugar has caramelized and it takes on a syrupy quality. Place into mason jars and go through the canning process if you wish to keep it until next year.