How to make homemade butter and flavored whipped butter: Video

Butter is a staple in many kitchens and makes countless meals, snacks and sweets taste better. Store-bought sticks and tubs are fine, but like many things in life, sometimes homemade is better.

Believe it or not, all it takes to make butter at home is one ingredient: heavy cream. The final result not only yields butter, but also produces buttermilk that you can save and use to make biscuits or pancakes. You can also use cream from a local farm to enhance butter quality and freshness.   

Put away your churn and reach for your mixer, because there’s very little manual labor involved in the modern-day butter-making process.

Watch this video to learn how to make whipped maple butter.

Homemade butter

Homemade butter is surprisingly simple to make. All you need is: 

• A mixer.
• Heavy cream.
• Cold water.
• A container for storage.

Watch this video to see how easy it is to make homemade butter.

To make butter: 

1. Let the cream to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before starting. 
2. Pour the cream into a stand mixer.
3. Mix the cream using the wire whip attachment. As you mix, the cream will go through three distinct stages: whipped cream, stiff peaks, and finally butter.
4. Carefully separate the butter from the buttermilk. Save the buttermilk to use another time.
5. Knead the butter under cold water until the water runs clear. 
6. Mix in any salt or any desired additional flavors.

Homemade butter will last two to three weeks when stored in an airtight container in the fridge — that is, if you don’t eat it all before then.

Homemade whipped butter 

Whipped butter is made by whipping already made butter. Let the butter come to room temperature, and start creaming it in a mixer. Add a touch of milk or cream — the choice is yours — and let it mix until it’s soft, smooth and spreadable.   

Take it up a notch and flavor it. Try adding: 

• Maple syrup.
• Honey or hot honey for some kick. 
• Cinnamon. 
• Orange. 
• Lemon. 
• Sea salt.
• Garlic and herbs. 
• Fresh berries. 
• Chili flakes, jalapeños or cayenne. 
• Any flavor combination your taste buds are craving. 

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How to quickly soften butter

Attempting to soften butter in the microwave can quickly turn into a melted mess — even when you use the melt-and-soften feature.

Watch this video to see how to quickly soften butter.

Instead of zapping the butter, try this: Heat water in a microwave-safe cup for two minutes. When it’s done, put the butter in the microwave with the warmed water and leave it for a couple of minutes.

You can also try the warm-glass method. Warm a glass with hot water, dump the water, and turn the cup upside down over the butter, leaving it for a couple of minutes.

However, the most effective method might be grating it. Grate the butter directly onto your toast, your food scale or wherever you need it for a fast, highly effective way to bring it to room temperature.