Cranberry Compound Butter
Cranberry butter is a delightful and versatile condiment that combines butter’s rich creaminess with cranberries’ tart sweetness.
It is made by blending softened butter with dried or fresh cranberries and other complementary ingredients for added flavor. This compound butter can be used as a spread for bread, a topping for grilled meats or vegetables, or an ingredient in various recipes.
Comparison of cranberry butter
Wait a minute; there are two distinctly different recipes for cranberry butter? Yes, indeed, there are.
Cranberry butter and cranberry compound butter are delicious condiments that incorporate cranberries. However, they differ in terms of their texture, ingredients, recipes, and usage.
Cranberry Compound Butter Ingredients
- Cranberries – fresh or frozen cranberries will both work beautifully. Buy an extra bag around the winter holidays and freeze them so you can use them all year.
- Butter – Use either salted or unsalted butter. If you use unsalted butter, add a pinch of salt.
- Orange juice and zest: The juice from half of a large orange.
- Powdered sugar: You can eliminate the sugar if you’d like, but the butter will be quite tart. For a natural alternative to processed sugar, you could substitute maple sugar, maple syrup, or honey.
How to make it
Step One
Soften butter to room temperature.
Add the berries to a food processor or blender container.
Step Two
Run it until they are finely chopped. Grate in some orange zest.
Step Three
Add the softened butter and sugar, if using, and puree. Whip the butter until the whole mixture is fairly uniform.
Step Four
Add butter to a clean, sterilized, yet cool canning jar.
Step Five
Or wrap it into a log with parchment paper or plastic wrap. Slice it into pats for serving.
Fun variations
- Add fresh herbs, such as chopped sage, parsley, thyme, or basil.
- Grate lemon, orange, or lime zest into the butter instead of the orange zest.
- Add a bit of sugar for sweetness.
- Incorporate cinnamon or nutmeg for sweet dishes or garlic or onion powder for savory dishes.
- Add chopped walnuts, pecans, or almonds.
- Add a pinch of kosher salt if desired.
How to use the butter
- Bread and Toast
- Grilled Meats: Place a slice or two of it on top of hot grilled foods such as steak, chicken, or pork chops.
- Roasted Vegetables: Toss cooked roasted vegetables, like Brussels sprouts or butternut squash, with a small amount of butter.
- Mashed Potatoes: Mix a spoonful of cranberry compound butter into creamy mashed potatoes.
- Pancakes and Waffles: Serve it alongside your stack of pancakes or waffles.
- Baked Goods: Use cranberry butter in place of plain butter in baked goods.
- Eggs: Add the butter to your pan when frying or scrambling eggs for a unexpected flavor.
- Holiday Recipes: Use it to baste your Thanksgiving turkey, spread it on dinner rolls for festive dinners, or incorporate it into your Christmas roast recipes for seasonal flavor.
- Sandwiches: Spread softened butter on a grilled cheese sandwich before grilling. Use a sharp cheddar for flavor and a mild cheddar for easy melting.
How to store it
Store it in the refrigerator for about a week, or freeze it for longer storage.
More cranberry recipes
- Cranberry Pepper Jelly
- Cranberry Sauce
- Dehydrated Cranberries
- Cranberry Vinegar
- Cranberry Meatballs
- Cranberry Maple Butter – Fruit butter
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Enjoy. And have fun cooking!
Cranberry Compound Butter
Ingredients
- ½ pound unsalted butter
- ½ cup fresh or frozen cranberries
- ½ cup orange juice
- orange zest
Instructions
- Soften the butter to room temperature.½ pound unsalted butter
- Place cranberries in a food processor or blender container.½ cup fresh or frozen cranberries
- Process until fine.
- Add the butter, juice and zest. Process until a fairly smooth product is achieved.½ cup orange juice, orange zest
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Originally published May 16, 2023. Updated July 2, 2024.
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