A few days ago, I asked what folks’ favorite pairing with coffee was, and I got a lot of great responses. Seems people like coffee with almost every flavor, from fruit to nuts to chocolate and caramel. And then someone said “pumpkin.” Which got me thinking about pumpkin pie spice lattes and how they sound Ungood to me. But tons of folks love them, so I figured that that I should do some Further Investigation.
They don’t use actual pumpkin puree in the lattes, but they do use a pumpkin-flavored syrup of some sort. They whole thing is then sprayed with whipped cream and garnished with some pumpkin pie spice. I guess you’re supposed to stir everything together and Have At It.
Since many people Dig this flavor combo, I proposed adding some espresso flavor to pumpkin pie filling. I mean, why not, right? So, my plan was to do just That. But, as many of my plans do, this one took a Turn. I wanted something a bit more versatile than pumpkin pie filling. Sure, you can bake it into a pie (hence the name) or individual ramekins. I guess you could even swirl it into a brownie, but what I wanted was something that I could use as a filling for sweet rolls or sticky buns. And pumpkin pie filling Would Not Do.
So I turned to pumpkin butter. Espresso pumpkin butter. And, my friends, it is Excellent. I’ve had it on a spoon (yummy), spread on toast (oh, my) and as the filling for sweet rolls and sticky buns (Epic. I will be posting about that after the weekend). I think you could probably even reconstitute it into a pie filling by adding some SCM and egg and Such.
Hooray for versatile espresso pumpkin butter. It might not look like much, but it tastes like the essence of fall. Enjoy!
Espresso Pumpkin Butter
Since I started with canned pumpkin, total cooking time was only about an hour. You can absolutely start with Naked pumpkin, but just know that it will take a Lot longer to cook. You will most likely be rewarded with Superior Flavor, though, so it's your call, especially if you have access to Awesome Sweet Pumpkins.
Ingredients
- 20 oz . canned pumpkin puree, (NOT pie filling)
- 1 cup sugar, (I used demerara)
- 1/2 cup apple cider
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon espresso powder, (I used King Arthur)
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground clove
- juice of half a lemon
Instructions
- Cook all the ingredients except the lemon juice together over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until slightly darker in color and much thicker.
- Stir in the lemon juice. Taste and adjust seasonings as necessary.
- Chill and use however you want.
Notes
This makes about 3 cups of pumpkin butter. It is easily scalable.
Lester was Very Afraid of the sounds of the thick butter burbling in the pot. Yet,
he could not look away!
Sarah says
This looks awesome! I can’t wait to try it!
onlinepastrychef says
It is really good. And now, after eating some that has been in the fridge for 4 days, I can report that the pumpkin and coffee flavors eventually meld into one Amazing flavor. Can’t really taste the coffee separately like I could right when I made it. Apparently, those flavors are meant to go together! 🙂
Nelly Rodriguez says
Definitely a must make! Looks amazing!
onlinepastrychef says
It’s really, really good, and soooo easy to make. You will be Very Happy if you make some! =D
Karriann Graf says
I cant’t wait to try this …wonder how it would be as a Latte?
onlinepastrychef says
I think the flavors are right for it. If you wanted to use it to flavor a latte, I’d mix it in and then strain the whole shebang through a very fine mesh strainer. Give it a try; would love to hear how it turns out. 🙂
Elizabeth @Mango_Queen says
Great idea to add espresso to the pumpkin! Love the flavors! Thanks for sharing…must try it!
onlinepastrychef says
I hope you do try it. I think you’ll really like it, Elizabeth!
Chef Keem says
If I had more time for just browsing around in my favorite culinary blog, I’d give you a bounce rate of 0% (and get nothing else done). I will never come back here again…to your addictive stuff. Never.
Espresso and pumpkin – who woulda thunkin’.
See ya soon,
Keem
onlinepastrychef says
Oh, Chef Keem! What lovely words from my wonderful chef friend. Don’t see you often enough, these days. Hope all is well. Do try the pumpkin butter. It’s fat free–practically health food, when you get right down to it! 😉
Jerilea says
I’m going to have to try this. I have a pumpkin ready to roasted and turned into something delicious.
onlinepastrychef says
I hope you give it a try, @6ec6239c6f0cd8762edb2608b049aec7:disqus ! I think you’ll enjoy it 🙂