Homemade Maple Butter
This isn't just syrup mixed with butter. It's the fluffiest, most delicious sweet-salty spread you'll ever try.
Makes3/4 cup
Prep5 minutes
Cook11 minutes to 15 minutes
Whatever regular ol’ butter can do, maple butter can do better. The touch of sweetness and caramel-y, toffee notes alter butter so magically that it’s hard to believe how simple it is to make.
Because maple butter has so few ingredients, it’s essential to ensure those ingredients are good-quality. Here you’ll want real-deal maple syrup — sweet, smoky, and amber-colored. Look for maple syrups from Vermont, New York, or Canada that are labeled with one or more of these words: Amber, Dark, Grade B, or Robust. These are stronger in flavor and won’t get lost in all that butter.
While you could simply mix maple syrup into a bit of softened butter, taking some extra time to cook it down makes a big difference. It concentrates the maple flavor so it’s bigger, better, and bolder. For a final touch, add a tiny bit of salt and cinnamon. It rounds out the fluffy, easy-to-make spread.
Why You’ll Love It
- Maple butter is delicious on everything. Spread it on cornbread, fried chicken sandwiches, pancakes, and waffles. The real question is what can’t you use this sweet-salty spread with?
- You can make it ahead. Freeze it so that you’ll always have a stash on hand for all your maple butter needs.
Key Ingredients in Maple Butter
- Unsalted butter: Use unsalted butter so that you can control the amount of salt in the maple butter. We add kosher salt to balance out the sweetness.
- Maple syrup: Use a dark or robust maple syrup.
- Cinnamon: Ground cinnamon is a classic pairing with maple syrup.
How to Make Maple Butter
- Soften the butter. Let the butter sit at room temperature until softened.
- Reduce the maple syrup. Simmer over medium-low until reduced by a quarter. The syrup will look thick and coat the back of a spoon and the bubbles in the pan will be larger and slower. Remove from the heat and let cool completely.
- Whip the maple butter. Beat the butter in a large bowl with an electric hand mixer until smooth and creamy. Add the cooled maple syrup, kosher salt, and ground cinnamon. Beat until fluffy and lighter in color.
What’s the Difference Between Maple Butter and Maple Cream?
Although the terms are sometimes used interchangeably, maple butter and maple cream are two distinct products.
- Maple butter: Maple butter is flavored butter and, at its simplest, is just soft butter mixed with maple syrup.
- Maple cream: Maple cream is made by heating maple syrup to a specific temperature (usually around 235°F), letting it cool until it begins to crystallize, then agitating it (by whisking or beating) until it forms a soft paste. Think of it as spreadable maple fudge!
Helpful Swaps
- Spice substitutions: Freshly grated nutmeg or pumpkin pie spice can be substituted for the cinnamon.
Storage Tips
- Refrigerator: Refrigerate maple butter in an airtight container for up to 1 week. Some maple syrup might bead on the surface of the butter after a few days. Let the butter come to room temperature, then re-whip until smooth and well-combined.
- Freezer: You can freeze maple butter for up to 1 month. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and re-whip before serving.
What to Serve with Maple Butter
- Cornbread: With freshly baked cornbread or sweet potato cornbread.
- Roasted veggies: On roasted sweet potatoes, carrots, or butternut squash.
- Fried chicken: In a crispy fried chicken sandwich or in fried chicken biscuits.
- Toast: On toast with a sprinkle of cinnamon-sugar.
- Biscuits: Spread it on warm buttermilk biscuits or sweet potato biscuits.
- Quick breads: With banana bread or pumpkin bread.
- Pancakes and waffles: On a stack of fluffy pancakes or classic waffles for a double-whammy of maple goodness.
Maple Butter Recipe
This isn't just syrup mixed with butter. It's the fluffiest, most delicious sweet-salty spread you'll ever try.
Prep time 5 minutes
Cook time 11 minutes to 15 minutes
Makes 3/4 cup
Nutritional Info
Ingredients
- 8 tablespoons
(1 stick) unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup
dark or robust maple syrup
- 1/2 teaspoon
kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon
ground cinnamon
Instructions
Let 1 stick unsalted butter sit at room temperature until softened. Meanwhile, place 1/2 cup maple syrup in a medium saucepan over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until reduced by a quarter, 10 to 12 minutes (keep a close eye, as the syrup could boil over!). The syrup will look thick and coat the back of a spoon and the bubbles in the pan will be larger and slower. Remove from the heat and let cool completely, 20 to 25 minutes.
Beat the butter in a large bowl with an electric hand mixer until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute. (Alternatively, beat the butter with a whisk.) Add the cooled maple syrup, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, and 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon. Beat until fluffy and lighter in color, 1 to 2 minutes.
Recipe Notes
Storage: Refrigerate maple butter in an airtight container for up to 1 week or freeze for up to 1 month. Some maple syrup might bead on the surface of the butter after a few days. Let the butter come to room temperature, then re-whip until smooth and well-combined. If frozen, thaw overnight in the refrigerator and re-whip before serving.