I think I am finally ready to welcome fall with open arms. Well, mostly open arms. One hand will be holding this Slow Cooker Spiced Pear Butter packed with my favorite flavors of cinnamon, ginger, vanilla, and brown sugar.
The other hand will be holding a spoon.
I have finally been able to ditch my box of tissues, Sudafed, and Netflix – the things that kept me alive since coming down with a cold a few days after returning from India.
Post vacation blues are real, and I think the real remedies that got me out of this funk were dreaming up recipes with the delicious apples and pears we’ve gotten from our fruit share that is still going strong (this week included a half gallon of apple cider! Ideas?).
While I’ve made slow cooker apple recipes (apple cider butter & honey crisp applesauce) before, pears usually get eaten raw because they’re a rare commodity! A huge bag of pears let me create this beautiful whipped pear butter up, and I urge you to try it sometime in the next few months when you need a jam-like spread to put on everything.
- 5 cups pears
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Peel, core, and chop pears. Blend in food processor or blender until mostly smooth.
- In a greased slow cooker, combine all ingredients and cook for 6 hours on high, propping the lid open with a wooden spoon to allow for evaporation. Stir every hour if possible.
- For extra velvety texture, blend again after cooking to whip some air into the pear butter.
This recipe cannot be canned. Refer to official canning recipes to ensure proper acidity for canning.
I have been enjoying this pear butter on toast, pancakes, and in oatmeal, but it would be equally delicious as a mix-in for yogurt or on top of ice cream! For spiced pear applesauce, skip the blending step and cook for 3 hours on high.
Holiday Gifting: If you’re whipping this up as a holiday gift, I recommend these 5 ounce jars (affiliate link) which are pictured in the post. They’re a great size and a lovely shape!
And since it’s fall, I also recommend my Slow Cooker Apple Cider Butter recipe linked in the photo below.
While I do miss my summer berries already, I suppose I can live off of pear and apple butters until next spring.
Enjoy and be well,
Marisa
Jessica @ Nutritioulicious says
mmm…that looks like fall in a jar. Can only imagine the endless possibilities of ways to use this!
Lisa @ Healthy Nibbles & Bits says
This looks yummy! How long will it keep for?
Marisa says
Hey Lisa – I’m going on 10 days with a batch and enjoying it, but pears turn (even more) brown quickly so I’d recommend adding lemon juice to extend the life further.
Lisa @ Healthy Nibbles & Bits says
Thanks for the update! I’ll definitely keep that in mind when I make this!
Erin @ The Almond Eater says
Gorgeous photos–PINNED. I’m glad you’re feeling better and that you were able to workout with a pot last night…. still can’t get over that…. oh and I love pears so YAY.
Marisa says
I would be happy to guest post a Dutch Oven Workout anytime… just give me the heads up 😉
Cassie says
Ideas for apple cider: APPLE CIDER DONUTS. I have so many apple cider recipes in my head, I just need to go buy some!
rachel says
this looks amazing! I love pear butter! never tried making it but totally gonna make this!
Allison - Celebrating Sweets says
This is beautiful and looks delicious. I make apple-pearsauce every fall but I’ve never made pear butter. Can’t wait to try it!
Jamie says
What do you think about almond instead of vanilla extract?
Marisa says
Hi Jamie! I think that would be a nice flavor – let me know if you tried it!
Alan says
Hi Marisa,
I’m guessing you could can this recipe also to preserve the freshness?
Marisa says
Hi Alan – Glad you asked! No, this recipe cannot be canned. Canning requires a certain amount of sugar and acidity in the recipe, and I did not write this recipe for that purpose. I recommend consulting canning sources (like this apple butter recipe: http://nchfp.uga.edu/how/can_02/apple_butter.html) for a recipe that you can put up safely.
Alan says
Ok thank you. I made It today and It is so yummy I don’t think we will have any left after a week or so anyway!