Cranberry Orange Butter

Easy Cranberry Orange Butter

A slice of toast or a muffin just warm enough to melt a pat of butter so that it drips off just a bit as you take a bite might just be heaven. It’s a dreamy way to start your morning. But what might be even better is taking that butter up a notch.

Compound butters are of French origin and may sound fancy. But the are so easy to make and add extra flavor to anything you spread or melt them on. Herb butters are great on a steak. Garlic butter is the start of garlic bread for your spaghetti dinner. And then there are compound butter recipes on the sweeter side with honey, maple syrup, or fruit.

This Cranberry Orange Butter has elements of sweet with orange juice and zest, dried cranberries, and a bit of honey. But with just the right amount of salt a bit of sage, you get those savory, earthy elements that balance it all out.

So simple, so heavenly.

Recipe Ingredients

Here’s a quick rundown of what you’ll need to make this sweet compound butter. You’ll find the full amounts and detailed instructions in the recipe card further down in the post.

• Salted butter: Let it soften to room temperature. You can use unsalted if that’s what you have, but add a bit of salt. You can use a plant-based butter to make it dairy-free.
• Dried cranberries: Finely chop them.
• Orange zest: Grate it fresh, preferably with a microplane zester so you don’t remove any of the bitter pith.
• Orange juice: After you get the zest, squeeze a little juice.
• Fresh sage: Mince it fine. If you prefer to keep it more on the sweet side, just leave this out.
• Honey: For just a hint of sweetness.

How to Make Compound Butter

All you have to do is combine all of the ingredients in a bowl and blend with a hand mixer on medium speed until everything is combined. Then cover tightly with plastic wrap or transfer to an airtight container with a lid. You can also use a piece of plastic wrap to form it into a log and wrap it tightly so you can slice off pats. Then refrigerate until ready to use.

Storing Compound Butter

As long as it is tightly wrapped or sealed, the Cranberry Orange Butter will last in the refrigerator for several days.

If frozen, you can keep it for up to 2-3 months. But if you made a log in plastic wrap, I recommend wrapping it in aluminum foil to avoid having it pick up other odors and flavors from the freezer.

Feel free to double or triple the recipe if you need more for a larger gathering, or freeze in portions if you want to just pull out smaller amounts at a time.