I first discovered flavored butters in culinary school. We topped a pork chop with a dollop of chipotle butter, and then later used leftovers to infuse flavor into roasted carrots and even steamed rice. It was then that I realized what a secret weapon flavored butter can be.
If you’re anything like me, you’re already using a lot of butter in your kitchen. And taking a few minutes now to make a batch or two of compound butter makes it easy to add a boost of flavor to recipes later.
These are my current top 3 flavors— cranberry orange, cinnamon honey, and lemon herb. The sweet butters are my favorite (naturally) and are amazing spread onto toast, pancakes, and muffins. The lemon herb butter is amazing too, and I love to use it on meat, veggies, pasta, and even scrambled eggs.
Tips for making flavored compound butter:
- Start with really good salted butter. Since butter is the main ingredient, you don’t want to skimp!
- For easy mixing, make sure your butter is at room temperature.
- Flavored butters store very well! Keep in the fridge for several weeks and in the freezer for several months. To freeze, dump on a sheet of plastic wrap and use the wrap to shape in a long. Twist ends to seal and place in a zipped plastic bag.
- Feel free to create your own flavor combinations with complimentary flavors. Other suggestions are pumpkin honey, jalapeno lime and cilantro, lemon garlic, and sundried tomato and olive.
Cranberry Orange Butter
- ½ cup Challenge Butter, softened to room temperature
- ½ cup dried cranberries, finely chopped
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
- zest of 1 orange
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Cinnamon Honey Butter
- ½ cup Challenge Butter, softened to room temperature
- ¼ cup honey
- ½-1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, per your taste
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Lemon Herb Butter
- ½ cup Challenge Butter, softened to room temperature
- ¼ cup chopped mix of fresh herbs, like parsley, chives, thyme
- zest of 1 lemon
- ½ teaspoon coarse salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
Directions
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1
In 3 separate bowls, combine all of the ingredients for each flavor combination using a spoon or fork.
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2
Store in an airtight container in the fridge for a few weeks.
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3
To freeze, dump onto a sheet of plastic wrap and shape into a log, twisting the edges on either side. Place in a freezer plastic bag and store in the freezer for several months.
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4
Spread cranberry orange butter and cinnamon honey butter on toast, biscuits, pancakes, muffins, etc. Spread lemon herb butter on sandwiches, meats before roasting, or use a finisher for meats, vegetables, and sauces.
