Stop, hold on, before you switch off thinking you’re not keen on brandy butter! I wasn’t either, until I made my own! Wow what a revelation I can’t believe I’ve been missing out all this time!
Two versions from me, a brandy butter and a Baileys butter too. Stored in the freezer in individual portions so there’s no waste either.
If you love a good spread of butter on your toast, teacakes or slice of fruit cake then this is definitely right up your street!
Ingredients:
Brandy Butter
125g butter, salted
125g icing sugar
zest of 1/2 orange or 1 clementine
1 tsp vanilla bean paste or seeds scraped from 1/2 pod
3 tbsps of brandy
Baileys Butter
125g butter, salted
125g icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla bean paste or seeds scraped from 1/2 pod
3 tbsps of Baileys
To begin with you need your butter nicely softened at room temperature. Use your favourite butter, I’m using a thoroughly lovely Cornish butter from Rodda’s.
Add the softened butter to a bowl with the zest.
Beat it together well.
Add the icing sugar 1/3rd at time and beat it well after each addition.
Now you should have a super light and creamy mixture.
Add the vanilla bean paste and begin to add the brandy 1 tablespoon at a time giving it a great beating after each. After 3 tbsps taste it and see if you prefer it stronger. You can add upto 5 tbsps before any more and you’d risk it splitting. Beating it super well after each tablespoon is the trick here.
For the Baileys version beat the butter and then work in the icing sugar 1/3rd at a time before starting to add the Baileys along with the vanilla bean paste and beating well.
Now of course you can just put it in a tub and store it that way, but that wouldn’t be as much fun would it?
Add it to a piping bag fitted with a large open star nozzle.
Line a baking tray with baking paper, greasing the base of the tray will keep it stuck down in place.
Pipe out little individual stars of brandy butter.
Place the tray in the freezer for 1 hour.
Take out the tray, release the stars and place them in a freezer bag. Store them in the freezer until you need them.
They defrost quickly so you only need to take them out of the freezer a little in advance – 20 minutes should do the trick.
Add them to warm mince pies or top your Christmas Pud with them – enjoy!
Brandy Butter
Ruth Clemens, Baker Extraordinaire
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