Cranberry Pear Butter

While apples and pumpkins are undoubtedly the stars of the fall season, it’s also around this time of year that cranberries and pears reach their peak.

Of course cranberries get plenty of love in the form of sauce for our holiday tables but other than that their potential is left overlooked.  And while pears are certainly easier to eat and appreciate outside of the holidays, they often take a backseat to apples when it comes to recipes.  Take fruit butters for example where the apple and pumpkin varieties reign supreme, which is a shame since naturally sweet pears make a delicious fruit butter, especially when paired with cranberries like in this cranberry pear butter.

What is Fruit Butter?

Fruit butter is an old-fashioned fruit spread in the same category as jams, jellies and other preserves.  The main difference is that fruit butters generally are made with less sugar, are smooth and thick and easier to spread, they also don’t contain added pectin. They can be made from a variety of fruits.

Fall is the ideal time to make fruit butter.  It’s the time of year when we do a lot of giving and receiving and a homemade jar of fruit butter is always appreciated.  It’s also nice to have a jar on hand in the fridge to spread on pancakes, waffles and muffins, or just to swirl into yogurt or ice cream.  The possibilities are really limitless.

The great thing about making fruit butter is that it doesn’t require any fussy equipment for jam making like thermometers or canning equipment.  There’s also no pectin involved or any guessing about whether your jam has set properly.  You just cook the fruit down until it’s thick, velvety and spreadable.

The only tricky bit is that most fruit butter recipes can require anywhere from 3 hours to all day to make!  This is not one of those recipes; this festive colored cranberry pear butter comes together in about an hour with very little hands on cooking time.  Here’s what you’ll need:

Ingredient Notes:

(Here are a few notes about the ingredients you’ll need for this recipe.  As always find the full list of ingredients and directions in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.)

• Pears – I prefer Bartlett pears for making pear butter as they cook down easily.  Make sure to choose ripe pears.
• Cranberries – You can use either fresh or frozen cranberries.
• Cranberry Juice – Choose an unsweetened cranberry juice.
• Maple Syrup - Maple syrup is the primary sweetener for the fruit butter
• Lemon Juice – Use fresh lemon juice.
• Flavoring – You can use either a strip of lemon zest, or a cinnamon stick, or ½ a vanilla bean to flavor the cranberry pear butter.

How to Make Cranberry Pear Butter:

(Here are the basic steps and some helpful tips on how to make the recipe.  Find the full directions in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.)

1. You’ll start tart by placing the pears and cranberries in the bowl of a food processor and processing until smooth. Then you’ll combine this pear cranberry puree with the cranberry juice, maple syrup, lemon juice and flavor of choice in a pot.
2. Bring the mixture to a simmer, lower the heat and continue to cook stirring occasionally, until the mixture thickens and is a spreadable consistency, (about 45 minutes to an 1 hour).
3. Remove lemon strip, cinnamon stick or vanilla bean. Transfer cranberry pear butter into a clean jam jar and store in the refrigerator.

Dress it up however you choose, this cranberry pear butter tastes like fall in a jar.

More Fruit Butters:

• Easy Pumpkin Apple Butter
• Butternut Squash Butter