Compound Butter (Flavored Recipe Ideas) (2024)

Why You’ll Love It

• Compound butter is a classic way to impart more flavor into meats, vegetables, and breads. Depending on the add-ins, serve if for breakfast, lunch or dinner. It’s delicious on steak, chicken or turkey, burgers, and bagels.
• It’s a great way to add a special touch when entertaining. Incorporate it into Christmas dinner, an Easter brunch, or any brunch party.
• This is a simple way to elevate casual gatherings and everyday meals.
• Flavored butter tastes fantastic! Put some on the table along with bread and dipping oil.

Ingredients

Here are 3 savory and a sweet recipe options.

Herb Butter

• Butter. I typically have unsalted butter on hand so that’s what I use, however you can also use salted butter. Make sure it’s softened to room temperature so it’s easy to combine.
• Fresh Herbs. You’ll need to chop these very finely. You can use almost any combination. Some of my favorites are chives, rosemary, sage, basil, thyme, cilantro, parsley, oregano. I would stay away from tarragon since it has a licorice taste, and lavender which has floral notes. Also, mint doesn’t have the savory flavor we’re looking for here but could be added to the sweet butter.
• Garlic powder and Onion powder. These are pantry staples that add depth to the flavor.

Blue Cheese Butter

• Butter.
• Blue Cheese. I love using gorgonzola dolce cheese, or other mild blue cheese like Danish blue.
• Optional. Kosher salt to taste, and fresh chopped chives.

Sweet Apricot Butter

This sweet alternative is excellent on biscuits, french toast, pancakes, waffles, and other pastries.

• Butter.
• Apricot preserves. Using a chunky preserve gives the butter better structure. This is perfect to substitute with other flavors too, like peach, strawberry, or orange marmalade.

How to Make Compound Butter

1. Add ingredients to a medium size bowl and blend them together using a fork or electric hand mixer. Combine until smooth and everything is well integrated.

2. Form into a ball or oblong shape, and place on wax or parchment paper.
3. Roll the paper over the butter and roll back and forth to create a log shape. Twist the ends of the paper and refrigerate overnight or until firm.

4. Slice and serve with steak, bread, burgers, pasta, etc.

Expert Tips

• Use a hand mixer or mini food processor to combine the butter and flavorings together easily.
• If you don’t have a processor you can simply mix everything by hand using a fork. Make sure any herbs are finely chopped before adding them.
• Make sure you chill the butter before using it. This will allow it to firm up as well as let the seasonings all marry together. Put in the fridge for 2 hours, or the freezer for 30 minutes.
• Use fresh, high quality butter for best flavor, however generic brands are also delicious.

Party Tip

Use cookie cutters or biscuit cutters to cut out themed shapes for holidays, showers, and parties.

Serving Ideas

For an alternative to the butter slices, use one of these shaping techniques.

• Spread the butter mixture about 1/4-inch thick, on a sheet of wax paper. Top with another piece of wax paper and refrigerate until firm, or overnight. Once chilled, remove and cut out shapes using a small, shaped cookie cutter. Lift shapes off wax paper using a spatula.
• Add soft butter mixture into a piping bag fitted with a large star tip. Squeeze a dollop of butter onto a sheet pan lined with wax paper. Fill the pan with the shaped pats of butter and chill until firm.
• Simply serve the butter from a small dish with a small knife for easy spreading.