Slow Cooker Spiced Plum Butter
Slow Cooker Spiced Plum Butter made with fresh plums and warming spices. A simple homemade preserve that's smooth, richly flavoured and easy to make.
Ingredients
- 1 kg plums washed, stoned and halved
- 150 g white caster sugar
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 2 whole star anise
- 3 green cardamom pods lightly crushed
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
Instructions
- Remove the stones from the plums by cutting them in half or using a cherry or olive pitter. Place the prepared fruit in the slow cooker.
- Add the caster sugar, cinnamon stick, star anise, cardamom pods and salt. Stir until the fruit is evenly coated.
- Cover and cook on High for 4–5 hours, stirring once or twice, until the plums have collapsed and released their juices. Alternatively, cook on Low for 7–8 hours.
- Remove the cinnamon stick, star anise and cardamom pods. Blend the fruit directly in the slow cooker with a stick blender until completely smooth.
- Position the lid slightly ajar and cook on High for another 1–2 hours. Stir every 30 minutes until the plum butter is thick and a spoon drawn across the base leaves a trail for several seconds.
- Taste and add a little more sugar if the plums are particularly tart. For a thinner consistency, stir in a small amount of hot water.
- Transfer the hot plum butter to clean, warm jars. Leave to cool, then refrigerate.
Notes
This Slow Cooker Spiced Plum Butter is naturally vegan, dairy-free and gluten-free. Damsons, bullaces, Mirabelle plums and ordinary dessert plums can all be used. Tart varieties may need an additional 25–50 g of sugar, while very sweet plums may need less. White caster sugar preserves the lighter colour of yellow plums, but granulated sugar works equally well. Light brown sugar can also be used, although it produces a darker butter with a mild caramel flavour. Keep the cooled plum butter in a sealed jar in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks. It can also be frozen for up to 6 months; thaw it overnight in the refrigerator and stir well before serving.