Three Compound Butter Recipes

Last spring I hosted a bridesmaids’ brunch at our home. The food was simple. Quiche, fruit and an assortment of breads. To make it even more simple (and since a baker I am not) I picked up a few loaves of bread fresh from a local bakery.

To make up for my lack of bakery magic, I did decide to spend time on a few homemade touches that could be made ahead, one of which was compound butter. Compound Butter is quick and easy, and that’s right up my alley. I made three varieties for the brunch: honey cinnamon, fresh herb and strawberry. The honey cinnamon was by far my favorite, followed by the herb, and the strawberry.

For the holidays, I’ll be making some compound butters to have on hand, and perhaps give for gifts. Instead of strawberry, I’m opting for a more festive and seasonal cranberry version, in addition to the herb butter, and cinnamon honey.

Maybe I’ll even try to make some homemade bread from scratch for the first time.

Or not.

We’ll see.

Rolls, scones, muffins and toast are all good with a pat of yummy flavored butter but they’re not the only use for this good stuff. A little herb butter is also great on steak, fish and potatoes.

And one of our favorites is toasted pound cake with some honey cinnamon butter – yum yum.

For those of you who’ve never made compound butter, it really couldn’t be more simple. And the flavor, when using fresh ingredients, can’t be duplicated in any store bought brands. Plus you can make it ahead and it’ll keep for weeks. Or freeze it for up to a couple of months and cut off sections as needed.

It’s so easy! Basically for each you mix the butter with the ingredients. No cooking just a little measuring and mixing. That’s all. And I promise the results are worth every bit of effort and then some.

As far as the mode of mixing goes, I’ve used a variety of electric mixers and food processors, and have also mixed compound butters by hand. It doesn’t really matter which you choose to use. The point is to incorporate the ingredients well. The recipes below all call for 1/2 lb. (2 sticks) of butter for each flavor, if you’re using more than that you’ll probably want to use a stand up mixer or split your batch mixing smaller amounts at a time. Note that with a mixer you’ll have to scrape down the beater(s) and sides a couple of times. If using a food processor, pulse a few times to keep it from balling up.

Hope you enjoy your Christmas treats and with a little compound butter on top. Enjoy!

And Merry Christmas!

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Three Compound Butter Recipes

Yield: Each batch makes about 1 cup.

Simple recipes for compound butter.

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Ingredients

For Cranberry Butter

• 1/2 pound (2 sticks) salted butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup cranberry sauce

For Honey Cinnamon Butter:

• 1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 7-8 tablespoons of honey
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

For Herb Butter:*

• 1/2 pound (2 sticks) salted butter, room temperature
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon sage
• 2 cloves garlic
• *(For the herb butter, fresh ingredients are always preferred but dried herbs will work as well. Also, make your own flavor combination. Don’t have thyme or don’t care for it? Use dill or a favorite herb. Make it your own personalized butter flavor. It’s allowed.)

Instructions

For Cranberry and Honey Cinnamon Butters:

1. Let butter soften to room temperature.
2. Add all ingredients to the butter and mix well until fully incorporated.
3. Serve right away or you can cover and refrigerate for up to a week or so. If time allows, serve at room temperature.

For Herb Butter:

1. Let butter soften to room temperature.
2. In a small food processor blend olive oil and herbs together. If not using a food processor, chop herbs finely and beat together with olive oil.
3. Add the olive oil/herb melange (Yes, I used my thesaurus.) to the butter and mix well until fully incorporated.
4. That’s it. It’s ready to serve or you can cover and refrigerate for up to a couple of weeks. Serve at room temperature for easy spreading.

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