Pumpkin Butter

I've got a Peter Peter pumpkin hater in my house, so when pumpkin season hits it's pretty much up to me to make and eat all things pumpkin.  Not usually a problem, but I've been feeling lazy lately and the prospect of mixing and measuring and cleaning up dishes all for something that I'd be enjoying all alone was not enticing me.  When I was stuck with leftover pumpkin puree from our orange and black Halloween dinner (creamy pumpkin sauce+sausage pasta....yum....that's pumpkin the hater will eat), I stared and stared at that puree until quintessential autumnal spices started tingling the foggy memory corners of my brain and I began to recall the magnificent taste of pumpkin butter.  Suddenly, I knew exactly what to make and that I'd be more than happy to eat all of it.

Because it had to be easy, I wanted to use a slow cooker recipe, and because I'm eating every last bite, I wanted it to be healthy.  Not chia seed and flax seed healthy- which I did find recipes for- just more like not-too-sweet, mostly-about-the-pumpkin healthy.  I used a lot less sugar than most recipes, and my version is well-spiced, but it mellows out as it stands and if you like a sweeter butter, it's as easy as adding more sugar, or even maple syrup, to taste at the end.

Slow Cooker Pumpkin Butter
adapted from: Eggs on Sunday

Ingredients:
1 large (I think it's a 32 oz?) can pumpkin puree
2/3 C applesauce
1/4 C brown sugar
1 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cloves
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
pinch of allspice
hearty toddler pinch of kosher salt (he nails about 1/4 tsp every time)

Method:
Combine all ingredients in slow cooker and cook on low for 5 hours, stirring once in a while to keep the edges from burning. Allow to cool completely before storing, and it tastes best if chilled before eating.  Pumpkin butter can't be canned and it won't keep forever like jam does, so eat it while fall is here :)