Pumpkin and Apple Butters

I know it's about as far from fall as you can get. But with the seasons unable to make up their minds of late, going from hot to cold every few days, its good to have something warm every now and again.
A friend gave me some pumpkin she'd canned last fall and also some yummy home made apple sauce, so I decided to make a nice butter.
These are basically compound butters, which is a fancy way of saying its butter with flavorings mixed in.

So easy... even a caveman.. yeah.

Pumpkin Butter

1/2 c pumpkin puree
1/2 c sugar or honey
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 stick of butter, room temperature

In a pan, heat the pumpkin, sugar and spices on low heat for about 5 minutes, until everything is soft and combined. Let cool until its warm but not too hot to touch.
Stir in the softened butter.
Cover and keep refrigerated.


Apple Butter
The apple was already spiced so I just stirred in a stick of softened butter.
But you can make your own from a cinnamon-flavor applesauce:

1/2 c cinnamon apple sauce
1 stick softened butter

Stir together until combined. Cover and keep refrigerated.


There are all sorts of uses for flavored butters. Stir them into your morning oatmeal. Pour over ice cream. Stir it into cookie mix.
My favorite is simply spreading on toast: