As seen on This Morning
Oats jar
Butter crock
Homemade Brandy Butter (for Mince Pies and Christmas Pud)
Nestware Kitchen
Brandy butter is one of those Christmas things that's ridiculously easy to make, yet most of us still buy it in a little plastic tub. Homemade is softer, richer and you can make it as boozy as you like. It takes ten minutes, and it keeps for weeks.
Serve it on warm mince pies and Christmas pudding, or (don't knock it) on hot buttered toast on Boxing Day morning. A small batch looks lovely packed into a butter crock on the table, where it stays soft and spreadable.
Homemade Brandy Butter (for Mince Pies and Christmas Pud)
Serves: about 250gPrep: 10 min
Ingredients
- 125g unsalted butter, softened
- 125g icing sugar or light muscovado sugar, sifted
- 3 to 4 tbsp brandy
- Finely grated zest of ½ orange (optional)
- A pinch of ground cinnamon (optional)
Method
- Beat the softened butter in a bowl with a wooden spoon or electric whisk until pale and creamy.
- Add the sugar a spoonful at a time, beating well after each addition.
- Beat in the brandy one tablespoon at a time. Adding it slowly stops the mixture splitting.
- Stir in the orange zest and cinnamon, if using. Taste, and add a splash more brandy if you're feeling festive.
- Spoon into a dish, jar or crock, cover and refrigerate. Bring to room temperature for 30 minutes before serving.
How far ahead can you make brandy butter?
It keeps for up to four weeks in a sealed container in the fridge, or three months in the freezer. Make it in November, tick it off the list.
Variations
- Rum and orange: swap the brandy for dark rum, and add the zest of a whole orange.
- Muscovado: use light muscovado sugar for a deeper, fudgy flavour.
- Alcohol-free: use orange juice and a few drops of vanilla extract. Eat within a week.
What's the difference between brandy butter and brandy sauce?
Brandy butter is a firm, sweet butter that melts over hot pudding. Brandy sauce is a pourable white sauce made with milk, cornflour and brandy. Both are excellent. You don't have to choose.
Keep the everyday butter soft too
Christmas is when the butter gets the most use: crumpets, toast, sandwiches for the cold turkey. A butter crock keeps it spreadable on the worktop without the fridge. Here's how a butter crock works.
Made with: Nestware Porcelain Butter Crock
Lead-free porcelain, a water seal that keeps butter fresh on the worktop, and a matching knife. A thoughtful gift for anyone who loves their toast.
