Canning or preserving fruit jams or marmalades is not a process that is strictly reserved for items made with whole fruits or peels. One of the more traditional items occasionally seen today in some grocery stores but more prominently featured in many Amish markets up and down the east coast is something called pumpkin or apple butter. These items are made from the pulp of the fruit, and the only reason it’s called butter is because it’s very smooth and usually spread on bread or toast. I can’t say that I was ever a huge fan of this as a kid because it was so heavily spiced, but when I created this recipe and added dark chocolate to it, it instantly qualified for the hell yeah category…
Did I mention that it has to be dark chocolate…well it does. Semisweet just doesn’t cut it and the addition of the dark chocolate makes a world of difference. Always remember that if you have a heavily spiced cake or filling, the deep, dark chocolate flavor enhances the spices in a truly lovely way.
I chose to make a combo of both pumpkin and apple for this cake to bring together two of our Holiday favorites, but you can use one or the other if you prefer. If you don’t want to use this on bread, toast or crackers, this also makes a delicious dip for cut fruit and is even a great addition to a cheese tray that includes really creamy items like brie or camembert. If you go the extra mile and wrap them in a sheath of puff pastry (en-croute), be sure to slather a generous layer of this fruity butter over the cheese before wrapping it up in the puff pastry and baking…it’s truly the simplest things that make the biggest difference.
Pumpkin-Apple Butter
1-15 oz can pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
1 large apple, peeled and finely grated
¾ cup granulated sugar
½ cup packed brown sugar
¼ cup honey
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 teaspoon butter rum extract
¼ cup Meyer’s Rum ( or you can use a good whiskey)
1 ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon cloves
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
¼ teaspoon allspice
¾ cup dark chocolate chips (I use Guittard)
Add everything into a medium sized pot and cook slowly, stirring continuously with a wooden spoon over moderate heat for 15 -20 minutes until it has thickened.
Place the chocolate chips into a medium sized stainless steel bowl, and once the mixture has cooked, pour this over the dark chocolate and allow the heat to melt the chocolate.
Use the wooden spoon to stir the chocolate into the mixture until it has completely melted. Allow to cool and store in a sealed container in the refrigerator until ready to use.
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