Maple Pecan Butter
Butter. What a fabulous creation. So rich, so thick, so creamy, and can cover almost anything! Sigh….wow! I must admit, I have never been in love with butter like I am with chickpeas or coffee or Mountain Dew until I started to ADD ingredients IN MY BUTTER! If you haven’t made a compound yet, you are missing out. Get out your butter and start creating. I’m sure you will end up with a fabulous treat!
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup real maple syrup (no people, we are not talking Aunt Jemima!)
- 1/2 cup pecans: in grinder until almost powderish form (or as small as you can make it)
- 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
What can you do with butter compounds? Anything! I like using this one on pancakes, french toast, toast (prefer whole wheat), and oh yeah, SWEET POTATOES! It is amazing on sweet potatoes! It melts right into the crevis…..mmm mmm good! And they are easy to make, so why not give it a try? Flavor up your butter!
Recipe:
NOTE: For making those pecan pieces really small, I used a chopper. It made them very fine. If you don’t have a chopper, I would recommend it. They are fabulous at nuts, onions anything….time saver and efficient!
1. In a blender, add butter
2. Get some air flowing and beat for two minutes
3. Add nuts and mix for thirty seconds.
4. Add syrup
5. Wrap in syran wrap and refrigerate before use!
NOTE: This will not let you down – could possibly be your BFF. Afterall, BUTTER FRIENDS FIRST! Enjoy!
Chive Compound Butter
Lately, I have been baking bread first thing in the wee light hours of the morning. Nothing too amazing, just a plain jane white bread, but the aroma…ahhh, the sweet smell of the bread baking gets me every time. I love when my house magically transforms into a bakery. These sweet loafs have been wrapped neatly and sent away as holiday gifts this year but not without including a special, deliciously scrumptious, compound butter. YUM! They are partners and besties - bread and butter.
Now, compound butters are by far the EASIEST to make but the special touch and simplicity goes a long way. Make any ordinary bread, extraordinary. Last night, I used chives to make , you guessed it, a Chive Butter Compound. You can add anything you want to your butter and more. Keep going, it’s not just for bread! Take a slice of butter and rub-a-dub all over your chicken and then bake your chicken or you can even add it to your fish! Compound butters are quite versatile and extremely delicious – experiment! Are you ready to dive in? First, let’s get the ingredients, ready?
Ingredients:
1. Stick of unsalted butter, room temperature
2. Chives (as many as you like, I use 2 tsp)
(giggle, giggle, that’s it….)
Recipe:
1. Place butter into a bowl and mash with spatula
2. Chop chives, as many or as little as you want and place into butter bowl. (I used roughly 2 tsp and made them slightly big so everyone can see what is inside their butter!)
3. Now stir baby stir. Gently combine those beautiful chives with the butter!
4. Roll out about a foot of syran wrap and place butter in the center. Wrap the butter into a cylinder and twist the sides and/or place the sides into knots.
5. Place in refrigerator for at least thirty minutes. Butter is good for several days.
For even another version of this delicious butter, try adding 1 small clove of garlic, minced into the mixture. It’s a great way to add even more bold flavor!