Recipe: Whipped Vanilla Bean Butter from Flavored Butters by Lucy Vaserfirer

I was super excited to receive Lucy Vaserfirer’s new book, Flavored Butters: How to Make Them, Shape Them, and Use Them as Spreads, Toppings, and Sauces (affiliate link) from Harvard Common Press. I am a big fan of cookbooks, butter, and compound butters… so, it was a pretty perfect fit.

Not to mention that the book is written by a blogger from the blog Hungry Cravings and I do love a book written by a blogger! When the book came a long I marked a good portion of the straight-forward recipes to make right away.

The photography in the book is beautiful. I was surprised that there could be an entire book about butter. I mean, I love a good butter, but how many ways can one person do butter? Well, plenty. The book has tips for savory and sweet compound butters and melted butters. I made the Whipped Vanilla Bean Butter as soon as the book arrived at my doorstep. But, this weekend I have plans to make a few more and freezing them for future use. A few of the recipes that caught my attention:

Gorgonzola-Chive Butter (top a steak with this stuff and OH MY)
Curry Butter (the photo shows it in spinach… I must have it.)
Whipped Chocolate Butter (basically a rich buttercream)
Caviar Butter (What a great way to make caviar go further… would make a tasty party appetizer)

I’m excited to be invited to share one of my favorite recipes from the book. The Whipped Vanilla Bean Butter was to die for! I made a batch to top some waffles with strawberries and then took the leftovers to create a tasty Vanilla Bean Frosting.

I actually made my own butter before making it into the whipped vanilla bean butter…. I’ll share those images later today. Enjoy the recipe!

Whipped Vanilla Bean Butter

Recipe shared with permission from Flavored Butters by Lucy Vaserfirer (affiliate link)

Makes 8 Servings

Ingredients:

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 vanilla bean
1 tablespoon sugar

Directions:

In a mixer fitted wit the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until light and creamy
With a pairing knife, cut the vanilla bean in half lengthwise. Use the tip of the knife to scrape out the seeds, reserving the pod for another use. Add the vanilla seeds and sugar to the butter and beat until blended, stopping the mixer once or twice to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
To use as a butter, pack into ramekins, pipe, or simply serve by the dollop.
To use as a buttercream frosting, spread onto cooled baked goods, swirling decoratively.
Soften and rewhip this butter before using or serving if it’s been chilled or frozen.

* I received free product with the possibility of review. I do not promise positive reviews in exchange for product. No further compensation was provided. All opinions are my own. An affiliate link is marked within this post.