Herb Butter

Garlic Herb Butter Recipe:

John and I started making different flavors of compound butter years ago to add to our favorite recipes. It only made sense if we were already adding butter, garlic, and seasonings to a recipe, why not have it already prepared in a butter that we could grab at any time?

There are so many different varieties from sweet to savory, like cinnamon butter which is great on rolls, to Cajun butter which is amazing on steak. If you can think up a flavor combination, you can probably put it into a compound butter.

I like to keep things simple and go for an easy, flavorful herb butter. It makes awesome garlic cheese toast and is perfect if you want to add some flavor to the inside of some buns for lobster rolls or spread some on a piece of olive bread.

How to Make Herb Butter:

1. Place the softened butter, garlic, fresh herbs, parsley, salt, and pepper into a bowl.
2. Stir to combine.
3. Transfer the butter mixture to a large piece of plastic wrap and twist the ends tight, so no butter can seep out.
4. Place the butter into the refrigerator to firm up.
5. Unwrap, cut, and use in your favorite recipe.

Tips and Variations:

• Butter: I used unsalted butter for this recipe that way I could control how much salt was added. If you want to use salted butter, reduce or omit the salt from the recipe. Make sure the butter is soft enough to mix with a spoon. It’s best to set it out a couple hours ahead of time, so it has plenty of time to soften up.
• Mixer: A hand mixer or stand mixer can be used to mix the ingredients. The only downside is that they tend to beat up the fresh herbs. The more delicate herbs end up bruised and can turn dark in color.
• Herbs: I like to use whatever fresh herbs I have on hand. Usually that’s a mixture of thyme, oregano, rosemary, and basil. Feel free to switch these up however you like or add some of your other favorites.
• Garlic: I added some raw garlic to the herb butter just to give it some additional flavor, but that can be omitted if you don’t like garlic. On the other hand, if you love garlic, add a little more. You can also use garlic powder or jarred garlic.
• Salt and Pepper: Adjust these as needed. I go a little on the heavy side, because this butter will ultimately be seasoning whatever food its added to. There needs to be a decent amount of salt and pepper in the seasoning.

Storage Recommendations:

Room Temperature: According to an article from the USDA, butter can be left out at room temperature. However, if butter is left out at room temperature for several days, the flavor can turn rancid so it’s best to leave out whatever you can use within a day or two.

Refrigerator: The herb butter will stay fresh when stored wrapped in plastic in the refrigerator for about 7 to 10 days.

Freezer: Wrap the butter in a couple layers of plastic wrap, then add a layer of aluminum foil. The butter will stay good in the freezer for 3 to 4 months.