Compound Butter 4 Ways

May 30, 2020 by Nicole Collins

You guys ever feel like you’re the busiest person in the world while also feeling like you have absolutely nothing to do?

That’s been me lately.

It’s extra ironic, because it’s not like I’m out and about on the town or anything. I’m just here at home doing the same old thing. But at the same time, I feel like the days are zooming by and I have no extra time.

Does that make any sense? Or am I just suffering from some kind of quarantine time warp?

I’ve been working on so many new recipes lately, that I have a solid list on standby to share with you. It’s all just a matter of getting them typed up and to your computer screens. So, thanks for being patient with me as I grasp this current concept of free time. And know, what I have coming for you is sooooo worth the wait!

Today, we’re going to make something that’s become my latest obsession. It’s so versatile with so many different uses and applications, and I’ve definitely been intaking more than I probably should lately.

So today, we’re making Compound Butter 4 Ways!

Let’s talk about compound butter for a sec. It’s basically just butter with stuff added to it to make it taste even yummier. It’s not used to start cooking a dish. But instead, it’s used as a finishing touch. So, picture a little nugget of extra flavor melting all over an already perfect dish. Now you understand why we can’t just make one kind today.

Making compound butter is super easy. Soften some store bought unsalted butter. (Splurge a little for the good stuff.) Mix in your flavoring agents along with a pinch of salt. And, that’s it! You could mix with a fork or a spoon, but I actually like to use a hand mixer to help lighten up the butter and give it a little bit of a whipped quality. Roll it into a log to set and harden, then you’re ready to use it or freeze it for later.

We’re going to make 1 sweet and 3 savory butters today. Let’s start with the sweet Vanilla Bean Maple Butter. You need a stick of butter, some maple syrup, vanilla bean paste, and a pinch of salt. I’m obsessed with vanilla bean paste as you’ve heard me mention before. You get the potent sweetness that you’d get from an extract while still getting the little flecks of vanilla bean at a fraction of the cost. I highly recommend investing in some. It goes a long way! This butter tastes great on pancakes, waffles, toast, croissants…aka anything you could ever want for breakfast. I used some with chicken and waffles the other day, and my life has seriously been changed.

As we transition from sweet to savory, butter number two is a little bit of both. The Old Bay Honey Butter might just be my favorite one of the bunch. We just need some butter, Old Bay seasoning, honey, and a pinch of salt. My absolute favorite way to use this butter is to finish some roasted salmon, but it’s great on other types of fish, seafood, and chicken too.

For butter #3, we’re going to take the traditional route of making a Garlic Herb Butter. For ours, we use butter, fresh parsley, fresh chives, fresh dill, garlic powder, and a pinch of salt. I opted to use garlic powder instead of fresh garlic, because I didn’t want aggressive little bits of garlic to totally take over our butter. Garlic powder seems a little softer to me. I also recommend using fresh herbs over dried herbs, because they’re a lot brighter and fresher tasting in our butter. This butter is classic, so it’s very multi-purpose. It can go in scrambled eggs, on steak, on chicken, on seafood, on baguette, on potatoes…you name it. It’s a butter of all trades!

For our final compound butter, we’re making a Horseradish Chive Butter. Horseradish can be a little too aggressive for people sometimes, but I love it. And, I think the butter helps to tame it a little bit. So, we only need some butter, prepared horseradish (not the creamy stuff), fresh chives, and a pinch of salt. My favorite way to eat this butter is on a baked potato. But, it’s also perfect for any kind of beef situation. I think this would be good schmeared on a bagel too.

Now, do I expect you to use up a whole pound of butter in the few days of it’s shelf life? NOPE! These butters can be stored in the fridge for about a week, but I actually slice them up and store them in the freezer. That way, if I just need a little burst of flavor with zero effort, I can reach in my baggie, grab a medallion, and I’m all set! Plus, you can get about 3-6 months of life out of the butter if you freeze it.

Ok, everyone! Since we clogged our arteries with all of the butter today, I think it’s only right that we make a salad next. Sound like a plan?

Enjoy, and let’s eat!

Compound Butter 4 Ways

Serves: 1 lb Print

Ingredients:

For the Honey Old Bay Butter:

1 stick unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1 tbsp honey
1 tsp Old Bay
pinch of salt

For the Vanilla Bean Maple Butter:

1 stick unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
1 ½ tbsp maple syrup
pinch of salt

For the Garlic Herb Butter:

1 stick unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1 tbsp parsley, minced
1 tsp dill, minced
1 tsp chives, minced
1 tsp garlic powder
pinch of salt

For the Horseradish Chive Butter:

1 stick unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
2 tbsp chives, minced
2 tbsp prepared horseradish, drained
pinch of salt

Directions:

Make the Honey Old Bay Butter: To a small mixing bowl, add all ingredients for Honey Old Bay butter. Use a hand mixer to whip the butter until all ingredients are fully combined. Take a piece of plastic wrap, and spread the butter mix into a log approximately the size of a stick of butter. Gently use the plastic wrap to help you roll the butter into a tight log, releasing any trapped air, and getting the butter log as smooth as possible. Tighten the ends of the plastic wrap, label the butter, and place it in the fridge to chill until solid, about 1 hour.
Make the Vanilla Bean Maple Butter: To a small mixing bowl, add all ingredients for Vanilla Bean Maple butter. Use a hand mixer to whip the butter until all ingredients are fully combined. Take a piece of plastic wrap, and spread the butter mix into a log approximately the size of a stick of butter. Gently use the plastic wrap to help you roll the butter into a tight log, releasing any trapped air, and getting the butter log as smooth as possible. Tighten the ends of the plastic wrap, label the butter, and place it in the fridge to chill until solid, about 1 hour.
Make the Garlic Herb Butter: To a small mixing bowl, add all ingredients for Garlic Herb butter. Use a hand mixer to whip the butter until all ingredients are fully combined. Take a piece of plastic wrap, and spread the butter mix into a log approximately the size of a stick of butter. Gently use the plastic wrap to help you roll the butter into a tight log, releasing any trapped air, and getting the butter log as smooth as possible. Tighten the ends of the plastic wrap, label the butter, and place it in the fridge to chill until solid, about 1 hour.
Make the Horseradish Chive Butter: To a small mixing bowl, add all ingredients for Horseradish Chive Bay butter. Use a hand mixer to whip the butter until all ingredients are fully combined. Take a piece of plastic wrap, and spread the butter mix into a log approximately the size of a stick of butter. Gently use the plastic wrap to help you roll the butter into a tight log, releasing any trapped air, and getting the butter log as smooth as possible. Tighten the ends of the plastic wrap, label the butter, and place it in the fridge to chill until solid, about 1 hour.
Store the butters in the refrigerator for up to one week; or slice, freeze, and store the butter slices for up to 6 months in the freezer.

Recipe notes:

*These are not meant to be cooking butters (to start a dish) but as finishing butters. Here are some of my favorite ways to use these butters:

*The Honey Old Bay butter is INCREDIBLE on some roasted salmon. It would also be great on shrimp, scallops, or chicken. I didn't try it, but I'm currently thinking about how delicious this would be on a toasted bagel.

*The Vanilla Bean Maple is yummy on pancakes, waffles, toast, and croissants. Make some chicken and waffles, then finish it with this butter. Mmm...chef's kiss.

*The Garlic Herb is super versatile. You can use it to finish scrambled eggs, as a spread for garlic bread, to flavor a baked potato, or to finish steak or chicken. Yum.

*The Horseradish Chive is probably my favorite on a baked potato. But, it's also heavenly when finishing some steak or chicken.