Butter makes recipes delicious.  I’m talking about the genuine, from-the-cow, whole dairy ingredient.  Yes, butter is high in saturated fat, so don’t eat the entire stick.  The alternative to butter is the trans fat laden and chemical filled margarine.  Margarine and all its cousins are science experiments that someone turned into a food, and they aren’t good for you either.  By practicing a bit of moderation, butter can be enjoyed without the dollop of guilt.  I decided to experiment with butter and made three flavored butters.  The time investment is about 20 minutes or so for all three.   The flavors are Blueberry Maple with Lemon Zest, Honey Cinnamon, and Garlic Parsley with Asiago Cheese.   Blueberry Maple and Cinnamon Honey are DELICIOUS on morning pancakes or muffins and Garlic Parsley is a savory spread perfect for baked potatoes and vegetables or a hot piece of fresh bread!  Wow your guests or family with a creative take on the original.

Did Someone Say Delicious?

The ingredients are in the photo below.  I started with blueberries, maple syrup, lemons, honey, ground pepper, cinnamon, garlic cloves, fresh parsley, and asiago cheese.  Oh, and butter – I use Challenge Brand because it is made with cows that are aren’t exposed to growth hormone.  

The Ingredients

Using a heaping 1/4 c to 1/3 c blueberries – pour into a bowl and zest lemon on top.  I used about 1/2 of the lemon for zest.  I like lemon but you may use less.

Zest Lemon

Next, Make sure there is little blueberry juice in the bowl.  I drained the juice after the photo above.  Add one tbsp Maple Syrup to the mix.

Add the Maple Syrup

Mix ingredients well.  Crush the berries with the bottom of the spoon.  You could use a food processor, but I wanted chunks of ingredients in the butter.  It’s up to you.

Crush Berries and Mix

Next using one stick of softened butter, blend the ingredients together.  A food processor may be a good idea.  Once the ingredients are incorporated as butter, place the butter onto a piece of wax or parchment paper.  

Place Butter on Paper

Blueberry Maple Butter Roll

First step – Butter!

 I love Cinnamon so I add one tbsp of cinnamon.  Use as much or as little as you like. 

Then the Cinnamon

 Next add one heaping tbsp of honey to the mix.

Honey!

Incorporate the ingredients together by mixing them well.  Then repeat the steps above, place the mixture onto parchment or wax paper.

Place mixture onto paper

 Twist the ends and into the refrigerator the butter goes to chill.

Honey Cinnamon Butter

Finally the garlic parsley butter – begin with one stick of butter that is softened..  Place into a small bowl.  Using a fine grater or zester, grate the hard cheese over the butter.  I used 1 tbsp of Asiago Cheese. 

Grate the cheese

Next chop 4-5 cloves of garlic very well and add to butter.  You may use more or less depending on your propensity for garlic.  Chop parsley onto the bowl also.  I used about one handful of fresh parsley.  Then about 1 tsp of ground pepper will finish the recipe.

Ingredients ready to mix

 Stir the ingredients and butter very well.

And stir

 Finally repeat the rolling technique with the parchment paper and butter.

Into the paper the butter goes

Allow the butters to chill in the refrigerator overnight.  I think these would make a great hostess gift or any kind of gift in a decorative jar or container.  You could make a delicious gift basket with fresh butter and a yummy loaf of homemade bread also.  With winter right around the corner, this is a delicious and most welcome treat for your family and friends.  

Simply Delicious

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