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Pawpaw Butter
A silky, spreadable fruit butter that cooks down ripe pawpaw with warm spices into a jar of pure Appalachian autumn. Spread on biscuits, stir into oatmeal, or use as a glaze for roasted pork. The result is concentrated, complex, and utterly unlike anything store-bought.
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Ingredients
- 4 cups ripe pawpaw pulp, seeds and skins removed
- ½ cup brown sugar, packedAdjust to taste — ripe pawpaws are very sweet
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground ginger
- 0.13 tsp nutmeg, freshly grated
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp salt
Contains: milk, cereals gluten, sulphites.
Method
- Blend pawpaw pulp until completely smooth. Pass through a fine-mesh strainer to remove any fibrous bits if desired.About 8 min
- Combine purée, brown sugar, vinegar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat, stirring to dissolve sugar.About 5 min
- Reduce heat to medium-low and cook uncovered, stirring every few minutes, for 35–40 minutes until the butter is thick, dark, and mounds on a spoon. Watch carefully as it thickens — it can scorch.About 38 min
- Stir in vanilla off heat. Taste and adjust sweetness and spice.About 2 min
- Ladle into sterilized jars while still hot. Seal and refrigerate, or process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes for shelf-stable storage. Label with date.About 5 min
Tips
- Use the ripest, most aromatic pawpaws you can find — the flavor concentrates as the butter cooks down.
- Stir frequently once the butter starts thickening to prevent scorching on the bottom.
- Pawpaw butter makes an exceptional glaze: brush onto pork tenderloin or chicken in the last 10 minutes of roasting.
Ring the changes
- Add ½ tsp cardamom for an aromatic, Middle Eastern spin.
- Use maple syrup instead of brown sugar for a deeper, more complex sweetness.
Keeping it
Refrigerate and use within 3 weeks. Processed shelf-stable jars keep for 12 months in a cool dark place.
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