Salted Caramel Pear Butter

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Salted caramel pear butter is a rich, slow-cooked spread made with ripe pears, dark brown sugar, and a pinch of salt for balance. This small-batch recipe yields four half-pints and is finished with a simple water bath canning step for shelf-stable storage.

Prep Time20

Cook Time6

Canning Time10

Total Time6 30

Course: fruit butter

Cuisine: American

Keyword: pear canning recipes

Servings: servings, makes 4 half pint jars

Equipment

Ingredients

4 lbs pears peeled, cored, and coarsely chopped (about 14 small pears or 11–12 medium)
1/3 cup apple cider
2 Tbsp lemon juice
2 1/2 cups dark brown sugar
2 tsp sea salt or kosher salt

Instructions

Make the pear puree

Wash pears under cold running water and drain. Peel, core, and coarsely chop.
Add pears, apple cider, and lemon juice to a 4–6 quart slow cooker.
Cook on high, covered, until pears are very soft, about 40 minutes. Turn off the slow cooker.

Blend and thicken

Puree the pear mixture until smooth using an immersion blender, or blend in batches in a food processor and return to the slow cooker.
Stir in the dark brown sugar and salt until fully combined.
Turn the slow cooker to high. Set the lid on diagonally (vented) so steam can escape.
Cook on high, stirring about every 30 minutes, until thickened, darker in color, and able to hold its shape on a spoon, about 3 to 4 hours on high or 6 to 8 hours on low. (You can make this on the stovetop, and it'll thicken in about 30 minutes, but be sure to stir frequently to prevent scorching. That said, the flavor is better with a long slow cook, so use a slow cooker for best flavor.)

Water bath canning

Prepare a boiling water canner and heat jars.
Ladle hot pear butter into hot half-pint jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace.
Remove air bubbles, wipe rims, center lids on jars, and apply bands to fingertip tight.
Place jars in the canner. Make sure water covers jars by at least 1 inch. Cover the canner and bring to a rolling boil.
Process half-pints for 15 minutes, adjusting for altitude (see notes).
Turn off heat and remove canner lid. Let jars rest 5 minutes in the canner.
Remove jars and cool undisturbed 12–24 hours. Check seals, label, and store.

Notes

Stir more frequently near the end as it thickens to prevent scorching.

If your pears are very juicy, it may take a bit longer to reach a spoon-mounding consistency.

Processing time is for half-pints; adjust for altitude.

Altitude Adjustments

The altitude adjustments for water bath canning salted caramel pear butter are as follows:

For Under 1,000 Feet in Elevation – 15 minutes for half-pints
For 1,001 to 6,000 Feet in Elevation – 20 minutes for half-pints
Above 6,000 Feet in Elevation – 25 minutes for half-pints

Nutrition