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Within the past few weeks, we discovered something new thanks to Bev, one of our favorite Eat REAL America members.  We were looking through the recent comments on the website and saw the following from Bev on the Easy Pumpkin Pancakes:

"BTW, Aldi’s now has small jars of Maple Butter (whipped maple syrup) in their seasonal products aisle and it’s so delicious on these pancakes. And I think we might have used less than we would have maple syrup because it stayed on the pancakes!"

WHAT?!  Maple Butter?

Is it really just whipped maple syrup?

If any of you know Bev, she has become a scrupulous ingredient label reader.  We knew we had to check this out!  Why had we not noticed this before?  Honestly, it didn't jump out to us because we assumed it was like many of those other fake maple syrup products that are loaded with corn syrup, other sugars and all kinds of other ingredients.

So, we added it to our list for our next trip to Aldi.  And, we hit the jackpot, there it was!  We immediately looked at the ingredients and sure enough, only one ingredient:  100% Pure Organic Vermont Maple Syrup.  (See what happens when you assume things!)

Into our bag it went and you can probably imagine what we had for breakfast the next morning.  You guessed it...Easy Pumpkin Pancakes!

Just as Bev described, it was delicious and it stayed on the pancakes instead of running all over the plate.  We were even inspired to update our recipe photo on the website!

What exactly is maple butter?

Also known as maple cream, it has just one ingredient: 100% pure maple syrup.  The name really is a little misleading because there is no butter or cream involved.  It is made by heating up pure maple syrup, and then quickly cooling it down and whipping (or churning) it until it reaches its soft, smooth, creamy consistency.  It is a great addition to both sweet and savory dishes - we have already enjoyed it on pancakes, on the Egg in the Hole Acorn Squash, in the Maple & Walnut Salmon and more (see below for ideas and inspiration!).

Just in case you are wondering, you can make it at home.  Although, it requires carefully controlling the temperatures, and then churning it for 30 minutes or more to get the syrup to crystallize just right for that creamy, spreadable consistency.  (Are you thinking, forget it?!)

We read some reviews of people who tried to make their own and there was definitely some frustration - some were too thin, some ended up more like caramel, and one person even burned up the motor on her hand mixer!  Some of you may enjoy the challenge of making your own.  As for us?  I think we will stick to the Aldi version!

Where do you get it?

We bought ours at Aldi.  It may be one of their seasonal products, meaning it may disappear after the holidays.  We paid $5.89 for a 9.5 oz jar ($0.62/oz).

Because we had never looked for it before, we were curious if the major chain grocery store near our house had it.

We checked it out during our next trip and the good news is yes, they do.  The bad news is it costs $18.99 for an 11.5 oz jar ($1.65/oz) - more than twice as expensive!

We also looked on Amazon and they have several varieties, but we didn't see any for less than $1.00/oz.  So, you might want to make an Aldi run and grab a few jars while you can (especially if they go on sale!).

You can store it in your pantry until you open it, and then we stored it in the fridge once it was opened.  We have seen comments that it will last for up to 6 months in the fridge.  I am not sure we will get to test this (it will be gone within 6 months!).

Remember, it's all about the ingredients!

You may see recipes online for "easy" or "simple" maple butter.  These are not the same -- they typically include other ingredients like butter and/or brown sugar.  And, some products at the store are not the real deal.  For example, we saw a Maple Pumpkin Butter that includes pure cane sugar and brown sugar.

How do you enjoy maple butter?

Pancakes...the obvious choice!  A few ideas include the Peach & Pecan Pancakes, Apple Peek-A-Boo Pancakes, and the Fruit Topped Dutch Baby.

Of course, you can keep it simple and spread it on toast, although there are so many more ideas!

• Drizzle it on muffins!  Try the Streusel Berry Muffins or the Cranberry Orange Muffins.

• Brussels sprouts?  Yes, it would be perfect in the Balsamic Glazed Brussels Sprouts with Bacon & Onion or the Autumn Harvest Brussels Sprouts.

• Breakfast!  Try it on the Gingerbread Baked Oatmeal Baked Blueberry Oatmeal Carrot Cake Baked Oatmeal Cups, Overnight Cinnamon Raisin French Toast Bake and Apple Cinnamon Breakfast Quinoa.

• Pork chops!  Maple Mustard Pork Chops with Apple Cabbage Slaw

• Pizza!  Autumn Pizza

• Dessert!  Rustic Roasted Pears

• Frosting (spread a little on cookies or drizzle it on cakes or cupcakes).

Get creative - see what you think!

And then, please share with us!