Honey Lavender Compound Butter
This honey lavender compound butter is the condiment that makes everything it touches taste more special. Two sticks of softened salted butter blended with a generous spoonful of tub butter for an extra creamy texture, four tablespoons of honey, a fragrant blend of Herbs de Provence, dried lavender, and flaky sea salt, rolled into a log, chilled until firm, and sliced into beautiful rounds that melt on contact with anything warm. The result is a butter that is sweet, savory, herby, and floral all at once, with a flavor combination that feels specifically French and specifically luxurious while being made from ingredients most people already have on hand.
A Quick Look At The Recipe
- Recipe Name: Honey Lavender Compound Butter
- Main Ingredients: salted butter, heaping tbsp tub butter, honey, Herbs de Provence, dried lavender, flaky sea salt
- Why You'll Love It: This honey lavender compound butter blends softened butter with honey, Herbs de Provence, dried lavender, and flaky sea salt into a sweet, herby, floral butter that works on everything from biscuits to grilled chicken.
The Herbs de Provence and lavender combination is the heart of this butter. Herbs de Provence is a dried herb blend from the South of France that typically contains thyme, rosemary, savory, marjoram, and often lavender, producing a warmly herby, slightly floral character. The additional lavender amplifies that floral note into something more deliberate and pronounced. Combined with the honey that adds sweetness and the flaky salt that adds a finishing savory crunch, this is a compound butter that delivers a complete flavor experience in every slice.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Ten minutes of mixing and one hour in the refrigerator produces a compound butter that looks like it came from a specialty food shop and costs a fraction of the price.
The combination of honey and Herbs de Provence produces a butter that works equally well on sweet applications like biscuits and toast and savory applications like grilled chicken, pork, and vegetables. It is genuinely versatile across the entire meal.
The flaky sea salt finish adds a satisfying crunch and a savory balance that prevents the butter from being too sweet and makes every bite taste intentionally seasoned.
It keeps in the refrigerator for two weeks and in the freezer for three months, which means one batch produces weeks of elevated butter without any additional effort.
Ingredients Needed to Make Honey Lavender Compound Butter
Simple, pantry-based ingredients. Here is what you need.
The Butter Base
Two sticks of salted butter softened to room temperature form the primary base. The salt in the butter is already balanced for savory applications. One heaping tablespoon of tub butter, typically a whipped or spreadable butter style, adds an extra creaminess and lightness to the finished compound butter that makes it exceptionally smooth and spreadable even when chilled.
The Flavor Additions
Honey adds a clean, slightly floral sweetness that balances the herby depth of the Herbs de Provence and the savory salt throughout. Herbs de Provence adds the warmly herby, slightly floral French herb character that is the backbone flavor of this butter. Additional dried lavender amplifies the floral note into something more deliberately present and distinctive. Flaky sea salt adds a textural crunch and a savory finish that makes every slice taste balanced and complete.
How to Make Honey Lavender Compound Butter
1
Add both sticks of softened salted butter and the heaping tablespoon of tub butter to a large bowl. Beat with a hand mixer or a rubber spatula until completely smooth, creamy, and uniform in texture with no lumps or firm spots remaining.
2
Add the honey, Herbs de Provence, dried lavender, and flaky sea salt to the creamed butter. Mix thoroughly until every ingredient is evenly incorporated throughout the butter with no streaks or pockets of undistributed honey or herbs. Taste the mixture and adjust the honey, lavender, or salt to your preference before rolling.
3
Lay a large piece of plastic wrap flat on the counter. Spoon the flavored butter mixture into the center of the plastic wrap in a rough log shape about 6 to 8 inches long. Fold one long edge of the plastic wrap over the butter and roll it away from you to wrap the butter tightly. Twist the ends firmly in opposite directions to compress the butter into a uniform, tight log shape. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour until completely firm, or freeze for 30 minutes for a faster result.
4
Remove the log from the refrigerator and unwrap. Using a sharp knife, slice into rounds of your preferred thickness. For the cleanest, most defined slices cut directly from the cold log. Let the slices rest at room temperature for 5 minutes before serving for the best spreadable texture.
Honey Lavender Compound Butter
Ingredients
- 2 sticks salted butter softened
- 1 heaping tbsp tub butter
- 4 tbsp honey
- 2 tbsp Herbs de Provence
- 1 tsp dried lavender
- 1 tsp flaky sea salt
Instructions
- In a large bowl, beat the softened salted butter and tub butter together until completely smooth and creamy.
- Add the honey, Herbs de Provence, dried lavender, and flaky sea salt. Mix until everything is evenly incorporated throughout the butter.
- Taste and adjust the honey, lavender, or salt to your preference.
- Lay a large sheet of plastic wrap flat on the counter. Spoon the butter mixture into the center in a rough log shape.
- Roll the plastic wrap tightly around the butter, twisting the ends to seal and compress it into a uniform log shape.
- Refrigerate for at least 1 hour until firm, or freeze for 30 minutes for a faster set.
- Slice into rounds and serve at room temperature.
