How to Make Herbal Butter

by Rosalee de la Foret

There are so many herbs that can be used in butters and below I’ll share some of my favorite savory and sweet herbal butters.

But first, let’s explore some myths about butter.

In the recent nutritional history, butter was considered to be an unhealthy choice. Butter was labeled as a “fat” and it was also believed that all fats are bad for our health. People mistakenly believed that eating butter led to cardiovascular disease and weight gain.

We now know that healthy fats can be a beneficial part of our diet, and some fats even provide essential nutrients. Many fats like butter and olive oil are actually health promoting. While trans fats like margarine and Crisco as well as vegetable fats like canola oil are best to be avoided.

Butter, especially organic butter from grass fed cows, is high in vitamins and minerals as well as essential fatty acids.

Mushroom and shallot butter

We like to serve this butter warmed on bread for our dinner guests and are always asked for the recipe. It’s savory and delicious.

For this recipe you’ll need:

·  One stick of butter

·  One mushroom – we like the cremini mushrooms, but the white button mushrooms will work as well.

·  One small shallot

Begin by placing the stick of butter in a warm place in order to soften it.

Next, mince the mushroom and shallot.

Once the butter is softened, mix in the minced mushroom and shallot.

Since all mushrooms should be cooked prior to eating, we like to spread this herbal butter onto loaves of bread and heat thoroughly in the oven. The resulting spread is a savory treat that is warm and delicious. I know from experience that your friends and family will be begging for the recipe!

Orange and Mint Butter

This treat is wonderful simply spread on bread or scones.

For this recipe you’ll need:

·  One stick of butter

·  One organic orange

·  Sprig of fresh mint

·  Optional honey or maple syrup

Begin by placing the stick of butter in a warm place in order to soften it.

Next grate the zest off of an organic orange. You can do this with a small cheese grater. It’s highly advised to use an organic orange to avoid the pesticides normally sprayed on the skin of conventional oranges.

Next, mince a sprig of fresh mint. This can oftentimes be found as a fresh herb in most grocery stores.

For one stick of butter I use about 1 tablespoon of orange zest and two tablespoons of mint. You can add honey or maple syrup as desired to sweeten this mix up.

Rose hips with cinnamon

Another sweet butter your family will love.

For this recipe you’ll need:

·  One stick of butter

·  Two tablespoons dried rose hips or 1⁄4 cup fresh rose hips fruit with the seeds removed.

·  A small amount of apple cider or other juice IF you are using dried rose hips

·  Teaspoon of powdered cinnamon

·  Honey or maple syrup to taste

Begin by placing the stick of butter in a warm place in order to soften it.

If using fresh rose hips, remove the seeds and hairs from the hips. I like to freeze the hips and then use a butter knife to scrape out the seeds from the frozen hard shell.

If using dried rose hips, place the rose hips in a small jar and cover with the juice. Pour enough juice into the jar so that there is a 1⁄4 inch of juice above the line of the rose hips. Let this sit for several hours, or even overnight. The rose hips will soak up the juice and become soft enough to eat.

Once the butter is softened add the rose hips, the cinnamon and honey or maple syrup as desired.

Hopefully by now you get the idea of how to create herbal butters. There are an endless amount of possibilities for herbal butters.

I’ll list a few more of my own herbal butter ingredients, and I would love to hear your ideas in the comments section below.

·  Basil and Pine Nuts

·  Lavender and Rosemary

·  Garlic and parmesan

·  Thyme and hazelnuts