When I was in kindergarten, my teacher brought in cream and we all made butter together. I loved it, and butter-making became a Thanksgiving tradition for me--every year I make my own butter and use a cookie cutter to make it into a turkey shape. I've also made butter with my own students and their families several times, and I'm always surprised at how many parents don't know that you can easily make your own butter at home with just a jar and some heavy cream.
There is a bit of work involved, since you need to shake the jar like crazy for a while. It's easy with a group because you can pass the jar to the next person if you get tired, but I can still get from cream to butter in 15 minutes or less when I'm the only one shaking.
Of course, there is an easier method: pour the cream into a big bowl and beat it with an electric mixer. However, there's something really nice about doing it the old-fashioned way.
To start, you just need heavy cream and a jar with a tight-fitting lid. For one cup of cream, a 16-ounce (two cup) jar is best. Make sure the lid is screwed on well, and start shaking. After a few minutes, you'll have a jar of whipped cream as pictured in the two photos above. If you want to stop here, add a little vanilla and sweetener, and start dipping fruit, I won't judge.
To make butter, though, you'll need to keep shaking. Soon your whipped cream will look a little grainy, like in the photo below. That means you're almost there!
After a couple more minutes of shaking, the whipped cream will separate into butter and buttermilk, and the butter should form a large ball in the middle of the jar.
Pour off the buttermilk and store it in the refrigerator. It's not as tangy as store-bought buttermilk, but is still delicious in pancakes, baked goods, or even just as a drink.
The next step is washing the butter. Run some very cold water, and carefully rinse the butter until the water runs clear, working it between your hands to make sure you get all the milk washed off. If you don't rinse your butter, it will go bad very quickly.
You can use parchment paper to roll your butter into a log or shape it into a stick, or you can store it in any small container in the refrigerator.
To shape your butter with a cookie cutter, fill the cookie cutter with the soft butter. Cover with plastic wrap and store in the freezer until hard. When the butter is firm, carefully push it out of the mold. If it won't budge, wait a few minutes for the butter on the edges to soften up, then try again. Store covered in the refrigerator until ready to use.
If you would like to make maple spice butter, check out the recipe below. It's delicious on toast, muffins, and pumpkin bread. You can make it using store-bought butter if you don't feel like making it from scratch.
Homemade Butter
Ingredients (makes about 1/2 cup butter and 1/2 cup buttermilk):
1 cup heavy cream
Salt to taste (optional)
Equipment:
16-ounce jar with lid
Place the cream in the jar and screw the lid on tightly. Shake vigorously until the cream separates into butter and buttermilk (10-15 minutes). Pour off the buttermilk and store in the refrigerator. Rinse the butter under cold running water until the water runs clear. If you would like to salt your butter, stir in a little salt with a fork while the butter is still soft. Store homemade butter in the refrigerator, wrapped in parchment or wax paper or in an airtight container. The butter should stay good for a week or more.
Maple Spice Compound Butter
Ingredients (makes 1/2 cup):
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1-2 teaspoons maple syrup, to taste
Pinch of sea salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
Mix all ingredients together with a fork. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator and serve on muffins, bread, or even vegetables.
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