Herbed Butter
Do you have any cilantro, parsley, or chives you bought last week but didn’t use? They can be added to a salad, sandwich, or soup, but my favorite option is to take leftover herbs and add them to butter and freeze them later. Herbed butter added to any dish gives it an extra zing. Trust me, you will love it!
There is only one way to make butter better, add your homegrown herbs. There are numerous herb combinations, but here are my preferred herbed butter recipes and how I use them.
Dill and chive butter are my favorite and most utilized in the winter months with mashed potatoes, bread, fish, turkey, or sauteed vegetables.
Dill & Chive Herbed Butter:
- 1 pound salted butter, softened
- 1/4 C fresh dill, finely snipped
- 1/4 C chives, finely snipped
PRO TIP: Use scissors to finely snip the herbs it’s the fastest way to get perfectly diced herbs in seconds.
If you love Tex-Mex recipes, you will enjoy adding a burst of flavor to your meals. Herbed butter is excellent served with corn. Plop the frozen mold onto a flat dish and roll your corn on the cob to melt the butter over each kernel. Nothing says summer like corn on the cob rubbed with some spicy cilantro & lime butter. Yum!
Spicy Cilantro & Lime Herbed Butter:
- 1 pound salted butter, softened
- 1/4 C fresh cilantro, finely snipped
- 2 jalapenos, seeded and finely chopped
- 2 T lime peel, finely shredded
PRO TIP: If you like it hot, add more jalapenos pepper or substitute with a any hot pepper.
This is perfect for a sweet snack spread over fresh bread if you want something to serve at your next book club. Sweet butter is always a popular addition to family gatherings, over the holidays, or for brunch.
Berry Honey Herbed Butter
- 1 pound salted butter, softened
- 1/2 C fresh raspberries, pureed (berry of choice)
- 1/2 C honey (raw local)
- 1/2 C strawberries, coarsely chopped
PRO TIP: If you do not like raspberry seeds run them through a food processor until smooth and strain through a fine mesh sieve and discard the seeds.
Directions
In a mixing bowl, beat the butter with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add ingredients (of the chosen recipe) and beat on low speed until combined. Use herb scissors to make cutting herbs faster by mincing directly into the bowl.
The shapes make it a little more fun. Divide the mixture into a shallow mini cupcake pan or small silicone molds. Freeze until solid, usually about an hour, then place in a silicone bag and chill for up to 3 weeks or freeze for up to 3 months. I have kept this in the deep freezer for six months without any problems.
Place any of the remaining herbed butter and save it in a reusable container such as a butter dish. butter bell make it into a log and cut as needed.
When ready to serve, let the butter come to room temperature for spreading. If you are cooking with herbed butter, toss the butter mold in the pan, slow cooker, or pressure cooker frozen with fresh ingredients for a fresh herbed meal.
When dinner needs more zing, add savory herbed butter. The berry butter is ideal for topping pancakes or hot rolls. It’s a perfect addition to vegetables, fish, soups, noodles, rice, or mashed potatoes.
~Janine
What are some of your favorite herbed butter combinations?
