COMPOUND BUTTERS
MAKES ABOUT ½ CUP (1 STICK)
The sky’s the limit here. You like it spicy? Whip up some Sriracha Shallot Butter. Sweet’s your thing? Try Apple Pie Butter or Strawberry Vanilla Butter. Maybe you like lots of aroma. Go for Tarragon Mustard Butter. Experiment with your favorite flavors—from herbs and spices to aromatics and sweeteners! You can spread compound butter on toast, use it to finish a sauce, or flavor a dessert with it. —CHAD
½ cup (1 stick) plant-based butter (such as Miyoko’s or Earth Balance sticks)
1½ to 3 tablespoons flavoring (see the Options)
Mix the butter and flavoring in a food processor, in a stand mixer, or by hand. Use a food processor if you want to puree all the ingredients together and evenly color the butter. Mix by hand if you want to preserve chunks of flavoring/color in the butter. If mixing by hand or in a stand mixer, soften the butter at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes while you prep the flavoring.
Once mixed, you can put the butter in a tub for scooping or shape it any way you like, then chill it. For pats, place the soft blended butter on parchment or plastic wrap, roll into a cylinder, and seal the ends. Keep chilled until ready to use.
Spicy
SRIRACHA SHALLOT BUTTER: 2 tablespoons sriracha, 1 tablespoon minced shallot
JALAPEÑO, CILANTRO, AND LIME BUTTER: 1 tablespoon minced jalapeño, 1½ tablespoons minced fresh cilantro, 1 tablespoon lime juice, 1 teaspoon lime zest
HOT ROASTED PEPPER BUTTER: 2 tablespoons minced roasted red bell pepper, ½ tablespoon paprika, ½ teaspoon cayenne
Aromatic
ROASTED GARLIC AND PARSLEY BUTTER: 2 tablespoons roasted garlic paste (or 1½ tablespoons minced fresh garlic), 1 tablespoon granulated onion, 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
LEMON PEPPER CHIVE BUTTER: 1½ tablespoons minced fresh chives, ½ tablespoon minced shallot, 1 teaspoon lemon zest, ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
TARRAGON MUSTARD BUTTER: 1 tablespoon coarse whole-grain mustard, ½ tablespoon minced fresh tarragon, ½ teaspoon minced shallots
UMAMI BUTTER: 1½ tablespoons ground dried shiitake mushrooms (buzzed in a spice mill), ½ tablespoon toasted sesame seeds, 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
Sweet
VANILLA BUTTER: Seeds scraped from 1 split vanilla bean, 1½ tablespoons date sugar or maple sugar, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
APPLE PIE BUTTER: 2 tablespoons minced dried apples, 1½ tablespoons maple sugar (or demerara sugar or brown sugar), 1 teaspoon cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon nutmeg, pinch of salt
STRAWBERRY VANILLA BUTTER: 2 tablespoons crushed freeze-dried strawberries, seeds scraped from ½ split vanilla bean, 1 teaspoon organic cane sugar
VAN DRUNEN FARMS MAKES GREAT FREEZE-DRIED FRUIT