Homemade Butter with Chives and Buttermilk

This recipe is really simple but it does take time. Don’t plan on using the butter the same day you start to make it, and don’t rush yourself. Make the butter at a leisurely pace whenever you have time, and refrigerate it when you are busy.

Pour the cream into an eight-ounce jar and add the chives and salt. You could use more cream if you wanted, just adjust the size of the jar accordingly. I used the leftover cream from when I made my Double Bittersweet Chocolate Ganache Cake. I found that it made a nice proportion of butter to buttermilk but you could use heavy cream if so desired. Seal the jar tightly.

Here is where the fun begins. Shake the cream, and keep shaking, and shake some more, and still shake away. By doing this you are created a little mini butter churn in your jar. Shake while you are watching TV, really, just shake whenever you have at least one free hand. It takes a long time to make butter this way. But it still takes a long time if you wanted to try to use the mixer with a whisk attachment. And my mixer whirs something awful. Really I would rather shake a jar than listen to that thing for any prolonged period of time.

The butter is ready when you have about an inch to an inch and a half or more of butter and the butter looks kind of like scrambled eggs. Take a small square of cheesecloth and place it over the mouth of the jar. Flip over the jar and, holding on to the cheesecloth, let the buttermilk drain into a bowl. Once most of the buttermilk is drained out, grab the cheesecloth and butter in one fist and squeeze out the remaining buttermilk. Place the butter on a piece of plastic wrap and cover it before forming it into a ball. Pour the buttermilk back into the jar. Refrigerate both until ready to use.