A slow-simmered, velvety fruit butter that tastes like warm autumn mornings and spiced toast by the fire. This small-batch pear butter uses ripe Bartlett pears, brown sugar, and a comforting blend of spices. It makes the perfect gift jar or refrigerator staple.

✨ Why You’ll Love It:

This recipe is:

• Fragrant, cozy, and not overly sweet
• Easy to simmer in a slow cooker or stovetop
• Naturally thick with no pectin needed
• Freezer-friendly and gorgeous on toast, yogurt, oatmeal, or biscuits

📝 Ingredients:

• 4 lbs ripe Bartlett pears, peeled, cored, and chopped
• 1/2 cup white sugar + 1/2 cup brown sugar (or all brown)
• 1 1/2 tbsp bottled lemon juice (don’t skip this—it adds brightness and helps with safety)
• 3/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger (doubled for extra warmth)
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 2 small pinches of salt
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp almond extract (both stirred in at the end)

👩‍🍳 Instructions:

1. In a large pot or slow cooker, combine the pears, sugars, lemon juice, and all the spices (except extracts).
2. Simmer on low (stovetop for 1–1.5 hours or slow cooker for 6–8 hours) until pears are very soft.
3. Blend the mixture with an immersion blender (or carefully in batches in a blender) until smooth.
4. Return to heat and simmer uncovered, stirring frequently, until thick enough to mound on a spoon.
5. Stir in vanilla and almond extract.

🫙 Storage Options:

• Refrigerator: Store in jars for up to 3 weeks.
• Freezer: Spoon into freezer-safe containers or jars (leave space for expansion) and freeze up to 6 months.

Note: While I chose to water bath can mine using standard 1/4″ headspace and 10-minute processing time, this recipe has not been officially tested for safe home canning. If you choose to can it, please do so at your own risk. When in doubt, store in the fridge or freezer.

🌟 Optional Extras:

• Add a splash of bourbon at the end for a spiked twist.
• Stir in a tablespoon of maple syrup for extra richness.