I’m getting all cozy here wrapped up in a blanket and sipping tea all day long to keep me warm (although to be honest it has been a rather warm autumn so far). As soon as the days start getting shorter and the leaves more golden, I have strong autumn vibes going on in the kitchen. And what better manifestation of autumn than the perfect apple-pumpkin butter? As usual, I’ve added some super boosters in the butter to make it more nourishing.
This recipe is based on an old recipe of mine – basic (but oh so delicious) apple sauce. And in fact the apples in this butter are prepared exactly the same way. Mixing beautiful cooked pumpkin cubes with soft apple pieces is what takes this from a sauce to a thick and yummy butter. As for the super boosters? They’re my favorite – turmeric and baobab powder from Organic Burst, quite the perfect boosters during flu season. You can read more about Vitamin-C rich baobab here and about the health benefits of turmeric here.
We use this butter like nut butter – everywhere! It works well spread on toast, in porridge, in puddings, with yogurt…Here’s one of my serving suggestions: a creamy yogurt pudding with apple sauce, but it tastes even better with the perfect apple-pumpkin butter 🙂 I posted the recipe on my Instagram page.
- 6-9 small/medium apples (~2 cups soft apple pieces when cooked)
- ½ small pumpkin (~1 cup steamed / cooked pumpkin cubes/pieces)
- 3 tbsp (or to taste) maple syrup
- 1,5 tbsp (or to taste) lemon juice
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp Organic Burst baobab powder
- 1 tsp Ceylon cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground cardamom
- ¼ tsp vanilla bean powder
- dash of black pepper
- Preheat oven to 150C/300F.
- Chop apples into 4-8 pieces (depending on how large they are).
- Bake apples in a casserole dish for 1 hour.
- After 1 hour, turn off the heat, cover the casserole dish (put a lid on) and let it sit in the oven for another hour.
- Take the dish out of the oven and let cool for a while.
- When the apples are in the oven cut pumpkin into cubes/pieces and steam/cook them for about 15 min or until soft.
- Let chill.
- Put soft apple pieces (~2 cups) and soft pumpkin cubes (~1 cup) in a food processor or blender with all other ingredients.
- Blend until completely smooth and creamy. Taste and add more sweetener or lemon juice if needed.
- Put the apple-pumpkin butter in a clean glass container. Keep well sealed in the fridge for up to two weeks. You can also freeze the butter (in ice cube trays or small containers).
- Enjoy the perfect apple-pumpkin butter in puddings, yogurts, porridges, spread on toast, as a sweetener when baking or just eat it plain (it really is that good!).
I want this on anything and everything! I was actually on the hunt for pancake topping ideas for a recipe I have brewing in my head and I pop over to your site and bam here it is! The perfect fall pancake topping. Now I just need to stock up on apples 🙂
Thank you Natalie 🙂 Funny thing is, I’ve never tried this as a pancake topping — yet. But now you got me craving for some pancakes and this creamy butter!! Thank you for the great idea 🙂 <3
Oh cardamom is a great idea, and black pepper, such a snap to the flavor. This one is a good one, thank you so much Tiina for sharing. Your blog is lovely, have a nice restful afternoon now. Love Dee xx.
Thank you sooo much Dee for your kind and lovely comment <3 I hope you're having a beautiful week 🙂 Lots of love <3
Hi there, recipe sounds soooooo good. Perfect for fall. I just wondered if there is any reason why you bake the apples whereas cooking the pumpkin? Baking or cooking both together would mean less consumption of energy and less dishes to wash 😉
Hi Laura 🙂 You make an excellent point here, thank you! This recipe is actually a combination of two recipes: I first made my healthy apple sauce (recipe is on the blog and similar to this recipe here but without the pumpkin!) and then decided to spice up the sauce with steamed/cooked pumpkin. But when I have time I most definitely will try your suggestion – cooking the pumpkin at the same time as the apples 🙂 I’m not completely sure how long I should cook the pumpkin in the oven, as I don’t want it too mushy and soft, so that is why a recipe test is in order! Have a lovely day 🙂
Gosh this looks beautiful! I wonder if I cold substitute date syrup for maple? Or would it be too strong?
I’ve used coconut syrup sometimes and it does change the taste but it’s equally delicious. So I think date syrup will work too! You might have to adjust the other spices though. If you try it, pls tell me how it worked out 🙂