Butter From Scratch

When I first discovered how to make butter from scratch, I was horrified. How have I lived so long without making my own butter? I felt like an entire world opened up to me that I had previously not known before. Dinner guests are always impressed when I mention that it’s homemade butter, rather than just softening store bought butter and mixing. I think it’s fresher and tastes much more creamy.

Butter is just made from whipping cream past the point of, well, whipped cream. It becomes firm, whipped butter first, and then if you continue, the buttermilk will separate and you will have the pure oily butter you’re used to. I much prefer it before that point, light and creamy, but I’ve done both and enjoy them both. You can reserve the buttermilk for something else after you’ve made the butter.

I do it in a food processor, since for an herbed version, I don’t need to chop or mince the herbs, but you could do it with a stand mixer or a hand mixer if you wanted the herbs to be more intact.

The two most common way I prepare butter is Cinnamon Honey or Herbed, both delicious for their own applications, be it on sweet potatoes or a roast/bread. Each pint container of cream produces about a pint of whipped butter, and a little less if you separate it into buttermilk.

Recipe

• 1 pint whipping cream

Optional Flavors:

• Honey Cinnamon (1/4 cup honey, 1 tablespoon cinnamon.)
• Herbed (2 Tablespoons each of Chives, sage, garlic, oregano, thyme, rosemary, 1 tablespoon salt, 1/2 tablespoon black pepper)

1. Place all the ingredients in a blender or food processor, and blend until cream has stiffened into desired consistency. If not maintaining whipped butter, after separating buttermilk and butter, scoop out the butter and roll in cling wrap for log shape. Otherwise, refrigerate.
2. If doing plain, skip all seasonings and just whip.