Caramel Pear Butter

Caramel Pear Butter! This dreamy spread made with cooked, pureed pears tastes like fall in a jar! Spread on toast, crackers, biscuits and more for a delicious autumn treat.

Caramel Pear Butter is a smooth, silky fall spread made with ripe pears, brown sugar, lemon and a hint of nutmeg. The pears cook down slowly until thick and concentrated, while brown sugar gives the finished pear butter a rich, caramel-like flavor.

It’s just as good spooned over toast or biscuits as it is paired with cheese and crackers for entertaining. I also love dividing it into small jars for an easy homemade fall gift… assuming you can resist eating it straight from the spoon first.

This recipe is naturally dairy-free and gluten-free.

The Short & Sweet

• The Concept: A smooth pear spread cooked low and slow with brown sugar, lemon and nutmeg until thick, silky and deeply flavored.
• Why It’s Worth Making: It transforms a handful of simple ingredients into the perfect autumn condiment, and it can do double duty as a breakfast spread, cheese-board addition or homemade fall gift.
• Best For: Fall brunches, cheese boards, hostess gifts, holiday breakfasts and making the most of ripe pears.
• Prep Ahead? Absolutely. Make the pear butter ahead, cool it completely and refrigerate it until you’re ready to serve or gift it.
• Before You Start: Use ripe, fragrant pears for the best flavor and be patient during the final simmer. Once the mixture is puréed, keep the heat low and stir regularly so the sugars don’t scorch as the pear butter thickens.

What is Pear Butter?

Pear butter, and all fruit “butter” in general, is basically just a sweetened, concentrated fruit spread. Fruit is cooked down with sugar and spices until it is very tender, then pureed and cooked down even further into a smooth, silky spread.

Despite its name, pear butter actually contains no butter or dairy! The “caramel” part of this particular pear butter comes from the sweet, rich flavor from the addition of brown sugar.

Why Is It Called Caramel Pear Butter?

There’s no actual caramel in this recipe! The caramel-like flavor comes from brown sugar combined with the natural sugars in the pears as the mixture slowly cooks and concentrates.

The result is a deeper, richer flavor than traditional pear butter without the extra step of making caramel separately.

Ingredients

Pear butter is made with just a handful of easy-to-find ingredients. There are variations and different ways to flavor it; see below in the “Substitutions and Variations” section. Here’s what’s in mine:

• Pears. While the original recipe calls for Bartlett pears, I’ve had success making pear butter with Bosc pears as well.
• Apple juice or cider. If you don’t have apple juice or apple cider (not apple cider vinegar, which is different) on hand, feel free to use water or even pear nectar.
• Brown Sugar. Adds sweetness along with a deeper, caramel-like flavor that gives this pear butter its name.
• Lemon Juice. Lemon juice helps fruit not to oxidize, but also lends a hint of tang to help cut through the sweetness.
• Spices. This recipe only calls for a tiny bit of nutmeg, but feel free to experiment with any of your favorite spices. I have some ideas in the variations section below.
• Sea salt. A pinch of salt helps to balance out super sweet recipes.

Directions

While the difficulty level of making pear butter isn’t too advanced, I’d say the hardest part is the patience it takes to let everything simmer and cook down slowly — especially with the intoxicating smell filling the air in your kitchen!

Start off by tossing all of the ingredients in a medium, heavy-bottomed pot. Give it a stir to combine everything. Cover the pot with a lid.

Cook the pears over medium heat for about 15-20 minutes or until they start to release their juices. (This could take more or less time depending on the ripeness and type of pears you use.)

Stir and reduce the heat to medium-low, continuing to cook until the pears are very tender, about 20 more minutes.

Scoop softened pears into a blender or food processor (a stick blender is also great for this) and blend until smooth. (Note: Be careful blending anything hot. It’s always best to let things cool a bit before blending to avoid blowing the top off the blender!)

Return the pear purée to the pot and reduce the heat to low or medium-low. Simmer uncovered, stirring regularly and scraping the bottom of the pot, until the pear butter is darker, noticeably thicker and reaches your desired consistency. Depending on how juicy your pears are, this can take 45 minutes or longer.

Avoid turning up the heat to speed things along. As the natural sugars and brown sugar concentrate, the mixture can scorch easily. Low heat and patience will give you a much better result.

How Do You Know When Pear Butter Is Done?

Pear butter should be noticeably thicker than applesauce and smooth enough to spread rather than pour.

My favorite way to test it is with a spatula: drag the spatula through the center of the pot to create a line. If the pear butter stays separated for a second or two instead of immediately flowing back together, it’s thick enough.

You can also scoop a little onto a spoon. It should mound slightly rather than run off like a sauce.

If yours still looks like applesauce, it probably just needs more time. Keep simmering it over low heat and stir frequently rather than increasing the temperature, which can cause the sugars to burn.

Scoop the pear butter into clean jar and allow to cool before sealing.

Slow Cooker Pear Butter

I’ve always made this recipe on the stove top, but you can also make pear butter in the slow cooker! The nice part about this method is that you don’t have to babysit it as much since the slow cooker provides a low, even temperature that will keep the sugar from burning.

To make pear butter in the slow cooker, follow the recipe as directed until it is blended. Then, instead of returning it to the pot on the stovetop, pour the mixture into the slow cooker. Cook on low for about 6 hours, stirring about half way through cooking.

The cook time will depend on the ripeness and type of the pears used, so keep an eye on the mixture and gauge for each batch. Pear butter will be darker and thicker when it’s done cooking.

Storage

• Allow the pear butter to cool completely before transferring it to a clean airtight jar or container.
• Store it in the refrigerator rather than at room temperature. Always use a clean spoon when serving to help keep the pear butter fresh.
• If you plan to give the pear butter as a gift, keep the jars refrigerated and let the recipient know that this is a refrigerator fruit butter rather than a shelf-stable canned preserve.

You can also fill cupcakes, donuts or other desserts like macarons and thumbprint cookies for a sweet surprise.

Serve It In Style

• For a fall cheese board, spoon it into a small jam pot (I love Weck jars or latch-top jars), ramekin or covered condiment jar and pair it with creamy Brie, tangy goat cheese or a sharp cheddar. Add crackers or crostini and a handful of toasted or candied pecans for an easy sweet-savory combination.
• For brunch, serve it alongside warm biscuits, croissants, toast or muffins, or swirl a spoonful into yogurt or oatmeal. My Maple Glazed Scones would be fantastic with this!
• It also makes a lovely homemade hostess or holiday gift. Spoon the cooled pear butter into small jars, add a simple label or ribbon and make sure to note that it should be kept refrigerated.

Variations and Substitutions

Caramel Pear Butter is absolutely delicious as is (take it from me, who has enjoyed more spoonfuls than I care to admit!), but with a few minor adjustments you can create even more tasty versions.

• Try other spices such as cardamom, cinnamon or cloves.
• Make a mélange by tossing in some apples along with your pears for a cross between apple butter and pear butter.
• Add a hint of citrus by stirring in some grated lemon zest or orange zest.
• Stir in some vanilla bean paste or extract at the end of cooking.
• Add a tablespoon or two of fresh grated ginger for a spicy twist.

FAQs

Can I use Bosc pears instead of Bartlett pears?

Yes. Bartlett pears are a classic choice because they become very soft and juicy as they ripen, but I’ve also had good results with Bosc pears. Whichever variety you use, ripe and flavorful pears will give you the best finished pear butter.

Why is my pear butter too thin?

The most likely answer is that it needs to cook longer.

The amount of liquid in pears varies depending on their variety and ripeness, so cooking time can differ from batch to batch. Continue simmering the purée over low heat, stirring regularly, until it is thicker than applesauce and passes the spatula test described above.

Can I make pear butter in a slow cooker?

Yes. Prepare the pears as directed and purée them, then transfer the mixture to a slow cooker.

Cook on low until the pear butter becomes darker and thick, stirring occasionally. The exact time can vary depending on the moisture content of your pears.

Can I can this caramel pear butter?

This particular recipe was developed for refrigerator storage and has not been tested by me as a shelf-stable home-canning recipe, so I don’t recommend processing it for room-temperature storage as written.

If you want to make shelf-stable canned pear butter, use a specifically tested canning recipe from a trusted home-preservation source and follow its ingredients, jar sizes and processing instructions exactly.

Does pear butter contain butter?

No. Fruit butter gets its name from its smooth, spreadable consistency rather than from dairy. This caramel pear butter is naturally dairy-free.

Other Pear Recipes

Enjoying pears this season? Give these other pear-infused recipes a try:

• Spiced Pear Oatmeal Bake
• Roasted Acorn Squash & Pear Quinoa Salad
• Pear-Chardonnay Compote
• Cardamom-Vanilla Pear Applesauce

Adapted from Epicurious