Enjoy a sweet treat that will keep you satisfied.

By Jenny Hoff

There is a better way to top off your toast than with traditional jelly. Pumpkin butter delivers a sweet treat that won’t spike your blood sugar and will keep you satisfied longer. Made with the whole fruit and combined with all-natural sugar and freshly harvested cinnamon, pumpkin butter is the perfect way to ring in fall. With potassium, beta carotene and fiber, pumpkin butter also satisfies a sweet- tooth hankering while enabling your body to get the nutrients it craves.

Eat this: pumpkin butter

Not that: traditional jelly

Says who: Willi Kruse, founder of Barton Creek Crossing, started her company after her homemade pumpkin and apple spreads started selling out at local farmers markets. “I would meet up with customers at grocery stores to give them a new jar because they loved it so much,” she says. Kruse and her husband then built a large facility on their farm in Dripping Springs, Texas, to make their organic sweet treat with Texas-grown heritage pumpkins, filtered rainwater, natural sugar and high-quality cinnamon. They started producing more of their delicious spread and put it on the shelves at H-E-B, Whole Foods and other grocery stores.

Why: Traditional jelly is often laden with processed sugar and preservatives, spiking blood sugar and keeping you craving sweets all day. Barton Creek Crossing’s pumpkin butter and apple butter are diabetic-friendly, won’t spike blood sugar and have a lower glycemic index, thanks to the fiber content of the whole fruit and the fresh cinnamon Kruse and her family use.

Healthy flavor enhancer: Cinnamon is more than just a delicious addition to fall desserts and drinks. The antioxidant-rich spice is considered one of the healthiest and lowers blood sugar, fights inflammation and is even thought to boost metabolism.

More than just a topping: While it’s delicious on toast, you can use pumpkin butter in many recipes. Kruse suggests starting your morning with a pumpkin-butter smoothie by blending a couple tablespoons of the spread with your choice of milk, protein powder and ice. “The pumpkin butter is sweet enough that you don’t need to add any other sweetener,” she says. “If I have one of those in the morning, I’m not hungry again until the late afternoon.” You can also use it as an ice-cream topper, an addition to plain yogurt or oatmeal, and as a healthy alternative for sweetening fall desserts.