Did you know that there is a pumpkin shortage this year? Not good news for people like me, who look forward to pumpkin scones with the wide-eyed anticipation of a six-year old on Christmas morning. Not good news for people like Erin, either, the only person I’ve met who seems to like pumpkin more than I do.

I found this recipe on the Internet one year in a fervent effort to find something pumpkin that wasn’t all cream cheese, cheesecake or cookie. Contrary to its ubiquitous presence in autumnal desserts, pumpkin is actually quite nutritious. Low in fat and calories, high in beta-carotene (which converts to Vitamin A) it’s the added butter, eggs and sugar that that give pumpkin desserts a bad rap.

If you like apple butter, you’ll probably like pumpkin butter just as much. Despite its name, there is no butter in pumpkin butter and it’s a great spread on toast, muffins, scones or even sandwiches. The fun part about this is that you can make it in the microwave and the only dish you’ll have to wash is your measuring cup. The added bonus is that the aromatic scents of allspice, cloves, ginger, nutmeg and cinnamon will linger in your kitchen for hours.

Spicy Pumpkin Butter

Ingredients:

Makes 2 cups

1/4 cup dark brown sugar, packed
2 tablespoons white sugar
1/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 cup pumpkin

Directions:

Combine the two sugars, water, allspice, ginger, cloves, nutmeg and cinnamon in a 4-cup glass measure. Microwave on high 3 minutes; stir. Add pumpkin and microwave on HIGH 5 minutes. Let cool and refrigerate. Keeps several weeks in refrigerator or can be frozen.