Brightened with orange zest and sweetened with honey, Orange and Honey Butter makes a creamy, flavourful addition to your breakfast or brunch table. This simple compound butter is delicious slathered on fresh bread, muffins, pancakes and more, turning your every day breakfast into something extraordinary.
Sometimes it’s the little things that have the biggest impact. There really isn’t anything better than fresh bread with really good butter, except when that good butter is blended with the sweetness of honey and the citrusy tang of orange zest. Not only does the butter become something special, it becomes something memorable – and all it took was a handful of extra ingredients and 5 minutes of time. To make this Orange and Honey butter, simply blend together the butter, orange zest, honey and a pinch of salt, and pack it into a ramekin. To dress things up even more, skip the ramekin and shape the butter into a smooth ball. Drizzle the butter ball with additional honey and sprinkle it with extra orange zest for a pretty presentation. Either way, this recipe elevates simple butter into a special addition to your breakfast or brunch table.
What goes in Orange and Honey Butter?
- Butter: Use salted butter for this recipe, because the balance of salty, sweet, tangy and creamy is in large part why this compound butter tastes so good! Be sure to take your butter out of the fridge at least 1 hour before using so it softens enough to cream together easily with the other ingredients.
- Orange Zest: One orange should give you enough zest for the recipe, plus the optional garnish. The easiest tool for zesting citrus is a Microplane Zester, which is one of my all time favourite kitchen tools. When zesting citrus, be sure to just remove the brightly coloured part of the skin for freshest flavour. The underlying white pith is bitter, so you’ll want to avoid it.
- Honey: Any type of liquid honey will work well in this recipe.
- Sea Salt: An extra pinch of sea salt may be just the thing that takes this recipe from good to great. The recipe calls for salted butter, but it is important to note that not all salted butter contains the same amount of sodium. The amount of salt used in butter production can vary from one geographic area to the next, so if you’re concerned about adding extra salt to the recipe, simple omit it and taste the results. Add the extra pinch of salt if it needs it. If not, leave it out.
SERVING SUGGESTIONS
This Orange and Honey Butter is delicious on pancakes, waffles, scones and muffins. Don’t limit just to breakfast or brunch, though. It’s also amazing with fresh bread and cornbread, served alongside a bowl of soup or stew. It always makes an appearance on my St Patrick’s Day table alongside a loaf of freshly baked Irish soda bread. Try it on baked sweet potatoes or squash, or roasted root vegetables such as carrots, parsnips and beets.
GIFTABLE
Orange and Honey Butter makes a lovely hostess gift or “just because” gift for a friend. Pack it into a small jar and gift it along with a batch of muffins or a loaf of fresh bread.
Orange and Honey Butter
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup salted butter, at room temperature
- 1 tsp orange zest (plus more for optional garnish)
- 1 Tbsp honey (plus more for optional garnish)
- pinch fine sea salt
Instructions
- In a small bowl, cream the butter with the orange zest, honey and pinch of salt until smooth. Pack the butter into a small ramekin and serve at room temperature.
Optional presentation:
- Shape the butter into a smooth ball and place it in a small rimmed dish. Drizzle the top of the butter with additional honey, allowing it to drip down the sides of the butter ball. Sprinkle the top with the additional orange zest. .
RECIPE NOTES
- This recipe can be made up to 1 week in advance and stored in the fridge. Remove the compound butter from the fridge at least 30 minutes before serving to soften. For longer storage, this butter can be frozen for up to 2 months. If frozen, allow the butter to thaw overnight in the fridge, then soften it at room temperature as noted above. Frozen butter might separate a little; simply stir once defrosted.
