Life
11 Glorious Butter Recipes, Because You Need More of It in Your Life
Butter just wants to be loved. For years, we’ve swapped it out for tubs of margarine and low-fat everything. We baked our cookies with applesauce — and no matter how hungry or sad, we told ourselves this was the right thing to do.
But today, friends, is a new day. Grab a croissant and get celebrating — because it turns out that butter, in moderation, might actually be good for you. To all those diary fiends (hi, Paula Deen) saying, well, duh: we hear you. Which is why we’ve rounded up the best ways to cook with butter all day long. Brown it, clarify it, or turn it into blondies — just make sure you give butter the love it deserves.
Image: Leaf Parade
Keep Cool
We love butter every which way — but especially right out of the fridge, in our baked goods. Cold slivers of butter are key in these fluffy scones from My Name Is Yeh.
Image: My Name Is Yeh
Pie Time
The secret to perfectly flaky pie crust? You guessed it: cold butter. Crumble it into your dough, and it’ll flatten into those tender sheets of goodness you love so much. Thanks, Adventures in Cooking!
Image: Adventures in Cooking
Melt It
Melted butter is like liquid gold. You can’t really go wrong, but drizzling it over stovetop popcorn is especially glorious. A Pastry Affair has the recipe.
Image: A Pastry Affair
Blonde Joke
Melting butter isn’t rocket science, and it’s even easier to bake with. There will be no rolling, no mixing, or creaming to worry about — just pour it in your batter, and you’re well on your way to dessert. Leaf Parade’s deep-dish blondies are a good place to start.
Image: Leaf Parade
Can You Clarify That?
You can melt butter in your sleep. Now, let’s clarify it by heating our butter until the foam settles. Strain that golden goodness — aka ghee — into a jar and keep in the fridge until you’re ready. Lady and Pups shows us how it’s done.
Image: Lady and Pups
Get on a Roll
Let’s face it: clarified butter and seafood were meant to be together. Make these lobster rolls from A Better Happier St. Sebastian and then dunk them in your newly-made ghee. You’ll thank us later.
Image: A Better Happier St. Sebastian
Bake It
Ghee is often used in Indian dishes, but it also makes a mean English muffin over at Lady and Pups.
Image: Lady and Pups
Brown It
Brown butter (beurre noisette, if you’re feeling fancy) is nutty, fragrant, and good on just about everything. Joy the Baker breaks down the process — no timer needed. When your butter is good and browned, you won’t be able to resist the aroma.
Image: Joy the Baker
Put It on Pasta
You already know that brown butter makes a mean pasta sauce. And when you pair with seafood? Heaven on a plate. Thanks, Half Baked Harvest!
Image: Half Baked Harvest
Bake a Cake
Fact: brown butter makes everything taste better, including cake. London Bakes folds it into the batter for these honey-infused cakes.
Image: London Bakes
Lay It on Thick
For all our talk of browning and clarifying, butter is best eaten in the simplest way: creamy and spreadable, on a loaf of bread fresh from the oven. Thanks, Something Swanky!
Image: Something Swanky
