How to Make Herb Butter

Who doesn’t love butter? Serving anything with a pat of butter – be it corn on the cob, steak, grilled fish or the classic piping hot bread – makes it so much tastier. And if the butter is flavored, every morsel seems heavenly. Steamed or roasted vegetables served with herb butter can charm any meat lover.

Herb butter is simply butter that is flavored with an assortment of herbs. But the only thing simple about it is its preparation. It packs a punch, unleashing aromatic flavors that tantalize the taste buds. It can become your very own culinary secret to embellish any dish.

If you’ve run out of ways to make use of the surplus herbs that are threatening to take over your garden, herb butter is a foolproof solution. It is also a great way to use that extra produce that you bought from the store and don’t know what to do with.

Chances are that if you taste herb butter once, you and your family will never want to go back to plain butter. Since it is extremely easy to make herb butter, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t make it for the next special meal.

Here are 3 recipes to help you along if you wish to make herb butter:

• Recipe 1: Lemon Herb Butter
• Recipe 2: Garlic Herb Butter
• Recipe 3: Dried Herb Butter

Recipe 1: Lemon Herb Butter

Things you’ll need:

• Butter, at room temperature – 1 cup
• Lemon zest – 1 teaspoon
• Fresh mint leaves, finely chopped – 2 teaspoons
• Plastic food wrap

Step 1. Add chopped mint leaves to the butter

Put 1 cup of butter in a bowl. If it’s cold from being refrigerated, let it sit out until it warms to room temperature. Do not melt the butter.

Add 2 teaspoons of finely chopped fresh mint leaves to the bowl. Mint leaves add a fresh zing to the butter.

Step 2. Add lemon zest

Add 1 teaspoon of lemon zest (grated upper skin of lemon) to the bowl.  Use fresh lemons with healthy skin to get a nice quality zest.

The citrusy tang of lemon complements the flavor of mint leaves very well.

Step 3. Mix the ingredients together

Mix the ingredients thoroughly. Beat the mixture well to get a uniform texture and flavor.

Your herb butter is ready to be devoured. You can enjoy it right away or follow the steps below for storage.

Step 4. Seal with plastic food wrap and refrigerate

Smooth out the surface of the mixture. Seal it with plastic food wrap and place it in the fridge to set. Be sure to stretch the plastic wrap tightly across the container. Butter exposed to air spoils faster.

Keep it refrigerated for 1 to 2 hours or until the butter becomes firm. Store up to 1 week and use accordingly.

Recipe 2: Garlic Herb Butter

Things you’ll need:

• Butter, at room temperature – 1 cup
• Garlic, minced – 1 tablespoon
• Fresh parsley leaves, finely chopped – 2 tablespoons
• Plastic food wrap

Step 1. Put butter in a bowl

Put 1 cup of butter in a bowl. Make sure that the butter is at room temperature. If your butter is hard, don’t melt it.

Heating the butter starts the clarification process, which alters its texture and flavor. Let it come to room temperature gradually on its own.

Step 2. Add chopped parsley

Add 2 tablespoons of finely chopped fresh parsley. The flavor of parsley goes really well with the garlic that you’ll add next.

Step 3. Add minced garlic

Add 1 tablespoon of minced garlic to the mix. Garlic’s strong flavor will make your butter irresistible.

Step 4. Mix the ingredients together

Beat the ingredients together to thoroughly blend in the flavors, but be sure not to whip it.

Your savory garlic-parsley butter is ready. Use it right away or follow the steps below to store it.

Step 5. Fill the molds with butter

You can also shape your herb butter for an extra special presentation. Different shapes can accompany various dinner table arrangements and can enhance the look of your platter. You can use chocolate molds or any decorative mold for this purpose.

Fill the molds with the prepared herb butter.

Step 6. Seal with plastic food wrap and freeze them

Stretch a film of plastic food wrap tightly over the top of the molds and seal them. This will prevent any air from coming in contact with the butter. Put the molds in the freezer until the butter is frozen solid.

Step 7. Remove the butter from the molds and serve

When the butter is frozen firm, take it out of the molds. If using butter molds or silicone candy molds, this should be pretty easy. You just need to pop them out.

Always keep the molded butter pats in the freezer until you’re setting the table. Thawing spoils the shape of molded butter.

Recipe 3: Dried Herb Butter

Things you’ll need:

• Butter– 2 cups
• Water – 1 cup
• Tin foil container
• Dried basil –2 tablespoons
• Dried oregano – 2 tablespoons
• Dried thyme – 2 tablespoons
• Cheesecloth

Step 1. Melt butter in a bowl placed over hot water

Fill a pan with water and place it over heat. Make sure that the pan is larger than the bowl containing the butter. To ensure that the hot base doesn’t touch the butter bowl, put some flat stones in the bottom of the pan.

Put 2 cups of butter in a bowl. Place the butter bowl on the flat stones to melt the butter.

Step 2. Put dried oregano on a cheesecloth

Spread a clean and dry cheesecloth over a flat surface. Put 2 tablespoons of dried oregano on it.

Step 3. Add dried thyme

Add 2 tablespoons of dried thyme, as well.

Step 4. Add dried basil

Also, add about 2 tablespoons of dried basil to it.

Step 5. Make a bundle

Make a bundle of the dried herbs with the cheesecloth. Secure the bundle with a kitchen string or a simple thread to hold it in place.

Step 6. Add water to the melted butter

By now, your butter should be completely melted. Add 1 cup of water to the melted butter.

Step 7. Put the herb bundle into the melted butter

Now, put the bundle of herbs into the melted butter. Push it down with a spoon or spatula if it floats.

Step 8. Cover and let it simmer

Cover the butter with a lid and let it simmer for 3 to 4 hours over very low heat.

Keep an eye on the water level in the pan. The water will keep reducing due to evaporation, so you’ll need to add water a few times to maintain the water level.

Step 9. Transfer the butter to a tin foil container and let it set

After taking it off the heat, let the butter cool down. Then, transfer the butter to a tin foil container. Be sure to squeeze the butter out of the dripping herb bundle. Let the butter cool and set. It should take about 20 to 30 minutes.

Step 10. Drain out the water

Once the butter is set, hold the tin foil container over a large bowl. As the butter cools, it sets as the top layer, while the water collects at the bottom. Prick the bottom of the container with a knife and let the water drain out into the bowl.

Step 11. Store the butter and use as needed

You can store the butter and use it as needed. This butter has the flavor of all three dried herbs. Since the butter becomes clarified, the shelf life is a little longer than regular herb butter.

Get creative. Try your own combinations of local herbs and make your own innovative herb butters.

Additional Tips

• The butter you use should be at room temperature, otherwise the flavors will not be thoroughly incorporated. Butter straight out of the fridge will be hard to work with, as well.
• The fresh herbs will shorten the shelf life of your butter, but you can easily store it for about 1 week. When frozen, it can be stored for 1 month.
• The chopping, mincing and zesting should be done just before mixing the ingredients together, as these ingredients taste best when used promptly. Letting garlic and lemon zest sit for a long time spoils their taste, and herbs lose their aroma and flavor.
• If using an electric blender to combine the ingredients, be sure not to over blend it. You want the ingredients to be blended together, not whipped up.
• While melting butter over the hot water, make sure that the container of butter doesn’t come in contact with the hot water.
• If using unsalted butter, add a pinch or more of salt. Starting with a minimum quantity and taste it to check the flavor. Add more to suit your taste.
• When experimenting with different herbs, use herbs that complement each other. Herbs whose flavors clash won’t make a nice combination for herb butter. You can also make herb butter using just 1 herb of your choice.