Vanilla Bean Spiced Pear Butter

Several weeks ago, I made a new creation in my kitchen.

And it was divine! 

Some of my friends asked if they could just eat it with a spoon out of my jars! Haha!

Anyway, I was cruising Pinterest one afternoon (I know; you're shocked), and came across this amazing recipe. My recipe is not identical. Credit where it's due; I did nearly everything she did in this recipe, but I did change it a bit to make it my own. Please make sure you read my recipe thoroughly to see the differences.

Here's what you need:

7lbs. very ripe pears - peeled, cored & chopped
1/2 cup water
zest & juice of 1 lemon (I used the entire lemon skin for the zest)
4 cups granulated sugar
2 tsp. vanilla extract (original recipe calls for 1 1/2 tsp.)
2 whole vanilla beans, sliced and scraped
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon (original recipe calls for 1 tsp.)
3/4 tsp. cardamom
3/4 tsp. nutmeg
juice of 1 orange (I also added a little orange zest)




Here's what to do:

Combine the pears, water, lemon zest and juice in a big saucepan. Bring to a rolling boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and boil gently, occasionally stirring, for 20 minutes, or until pears are very soft. I prefer to use a wooden spoon, as opposed to plastic or metal.

Transfer mixture to a food processor fitted with a metal blade and puree just until a uniform texture is achieved. Do not liquefy.

In a different saucepan, combine pear puree, sugar, orange juice, vanilla, everything you scraped from the vanilla beans, cinnamon, cardamom, and nutmeg. NOTE: I put the sugar, orange zest & juice, vanilla, vanilla beans, cinnamon, cardamom and nutmeg together in a saucepan at the beginning, while the pears were boiling, because I really wanted to let those flavors marry. Bonus - your house smells amazing if you do this early on! (You can also add the vanilla beans whole, after you've scraped them; just make sure you take them out before you transfer to jars.) Stir until sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring frequently. Reduce heat and boil gently, stirring frequently, until mixture thickens and holds it shape to a spoon and liquid does not separate.

Meanwhile, prepare canner, jars and lids.

Ladle hot butter into hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch head-space. It's helpful to use a canning funnel. Remove air bubbles and adjust head-space, if needed, but adding more butter. Wipe rim. Center the lid on jar and screw band down until resistance is med, then increase to fingertip tight.

These jars need to be processed for at least 10 minutes, if you're canning them. If you're using the Vanilla Bean Spiced Pear Butter within 2 weeks, you can refrigerate it. 

A few days after I made this recipe, I made pumpkin pancakes and covered them with the Vanilla Bean Spiced Pear Butter. DELICIOUS.

Footnote: Caradmom is my new favorite spice. It's better than any Christmas potpourri you can make or purchase!