Just combine the ingredients and simmer until thickened – it’s that simple!
Apple juice – Choose an unsweetened apple juice or reduce the amount of sugar and maple syrup if sweetened is all you have.Brown sugar – This provides a nice caramelized flavor to the pumpkin spread, but it can be replaced with regular sugar or coconut sugar if needed.If using a different brand or fresh pumpkin puree, you may need to adjust the spices to taste. Pumpkin puree – I use two cans of Libby’s 100% Pure Pumpkin puree because I find it has the best flavor.
For the full ingredient list, see the recipe card at the bottom of this post. Note: This is just a partial list of ingredients. Or, use it in a variety of baking recipes like my Pumpkin Butter All Bran Muffin and Pumpkin Butter Pecan Cinnamon Rolls. Spread on all things breakfast such as toast, pancakes, and biscuits. Pumpkin puree is simmered with maple syrup, apple juice, and a blend of warm spices until thickened. If you’re familiar with apple butter, it’s very similar to that. Think of it as a replacement for jams and jellies, but with a creamier texture. Simply put, it’s a spiced spread with concentrated pumpkin flavor. Not only is it cheaper than ready-made versions, but you can adjust the ingredients so it tastes just how you like it. Jars of spiced pumpkin spread can be found at stores and farmer’s markets during the fall and holiday seasons.īut, once you see how easy it is to make at home, you’ll be able to enjoy it all year long! Make it today for yourself or to give as gifts! Looking for more answer to baking and cooking questions? Visit our Frequently Asked Questions page for more tips, tricks and for more tips, tricks and knowledge from our experts in the Test Kitchens.This pumpkin butter recipe is easy to make with just a handful of ingredients and spices. Now when you see recipes instructions to "cream butter and sugar," you’ll know exactly what to do! We hope this blog helps you better understand the “why” and the “how” of creaming butter and sugar. This is what it will look like if you go too far. Use a rubber spatula to scrape the sides of the bowl once or twice while mixing. Mix, using hand mixer or stand mixer on medium speed 1-2 minutes, or until butter mixture is pale yellow, light and fluffy. Place softened butter and sugar into large mixing bowl. A rubber spatula can be used to periodically scrape the mixture from the sides of the bowl. Next, grab a wooden spoon and stir the mixture until it is light and fluffy.
Should you not have either, you can gently mash sugar into your softened butter with the tines of a fork. Stand mixers are ideal for creaming butter and sugar, but hand mixers work well, too. The Tools You Need to Cream Butter and Sugar This can lead to dense cookies and cakes. It is possible to overmix the butter and sugar. If you overmix, however, the butter will separate out of the mixture and it will be grainy and soupy, so be sure to stop once your butter becomes light and fluffy. To get softened butter, beat the butter and sugar at a moderate speed for 2 to 3 minutes and you’ll be well on your way to baking perfection! Undermixed butter and sugar will look gritty and chunky. Overly soft or melted butter will whip up into frothy air bubbles, which eventually collapse into a greasy, wet batter and bake into a heavy and soggy baked good. To properly cream butter and sugar, you want to start with softened butter. Chilled butter is too hard to break down and fully blend with the sugar. Why Use Softened Butter for Creaming Butter and Sugar?
The result? Lighter textured cookies and cakes. You also increase volume by mixing thoroughly and incorporating more air into your batter. You accomplish two things when you cream butter and sugar:Ĭreaming evenly disperses the sugar throughout the batter, completely dissolving it into the butter. It’s often the first step in a cookie or cake recipe and forms the base to which other ingredients are added. Technically, creaming means mixing butter and sugar together on a moderately high speed until well blended, fluffy and pale yellow. What, exactly, does a recipe mean when it asks you to “cream butter and sugar”? Once a common baking term, "creaming" is seen less often in recipes these days, sometimes even replaced by the word “mixing.” There are distinctions between the two methods, though, and for best results when baking, it helps to know exactly what you’re looking for when creaming butter and sugar.