Start Spreading the Butter...Pumpkin Butter

Just when I thought my love of pumpkin had come to total fruition with my Ginger Snap Crusted Pumpkin Pie, I dug up this article from Smitten Kitchen. The idea of making my own pumpkin butter had never occurred to me, but after seeing SK's beautiful photos, I could almost smell the simmering fall spices that comprise this fabulous spread. Sure I could head out to Williams Sonoma and snap up this little 13 oz jar of deliciousness for $9.95, but really? It's pumpkin butter. And by making my own I have enough for a small army packed away in my fridge.

Less like actual butter and more like a jam or spread, pumpkin butter is pretty fabulous on just about anything...toast, breads, biscuits, by the heaping spoonful, and I've heard it's pretty fabulous swirled into some vanilla yogurt (the latter is yet to be personally tested). And the very, very best part? It couldn't be easier to make.
Initially adapted from Allrecipes.com, check out SK's recipe along with (of course) my own personal changes.

Pumpkin Butter
Adapted from AllRecipes
1 (29 ounce) can pumpkin puree, approx. 3 1/2 cups (I used 2 15oz cans)
3/4 cup apple juice (I used more like 1 full cup of the stuff)
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves (Due to the pungent nature of cloves, I used only 1/4 tsp)
1 1/3 cups brown sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Juice of half a lemon (I left this out...mainly because when I got all my ingredients out and ready I realized that (gasp!) my fruit drawer had no lemons to speak of)

1. Combine pumpkin, apple juice, spices, and sugar in a large saucepan; stir well. Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer for 30 minutes or until thickened. Stir frequently. Adjust spices to taste. If you are in possession of lemon, stir it in to taste.
2. Once cool, pumpkin butter can be kept in an airtight container in the fridge. Though the original recipe calls for actual 'canning' of the pumpkin butter, apparently this is highly frowned upon by government agencies. Not wanting to increase my risk for cancer, nor do I feel the need to learn anything about canning, I'm going with basic storage in the refrigerator.

So what do you think? Pumpkiny enough for you? Have any of you tried store-bought pumpkin butter - or any other butters for that matter - that've rocked your autumn world?