Christmas butter made with thyme, cumin, and orange is perfect for basting turkey or adding a slice to cooked carrots. 😋 A recipe by Jamie Oliver from his Christmas cookbook.
Flavoured butter is good any time, especially at Christmas, Thanksgiving or New Year's dinner.
You might also like this Chestnut, bacon and sage-flavoured butter recipe, perfect with Brussels sprouts.
Because flavour is key, use good-quality unsalted butter.
How to make flavoured butter
For this recipe, you will need:
- greaseproof paper (baking parchment) - a large sheet, say 12x10 inches
- 250g pack unsalted butter - at room temperature
- a small bunch of fresh thyme - leaves only
- a pinch of cumin seeds
- zest of 1 orange
Full recipe in the printable recipe card below
Remove the leaves from the thyme stalks.
See the top tip in the recipe card on how to do this easily! 😉
Place the thyme leaves in a bowl along with the softened butter, cumin seeds, and orange zest. Mix everything together well using a wooden spoon.
At this stage, you can use it as is to baste or tuck under the skin of your turkey, or add a knob to chicken.😉
Lay your sheet of greaseproof paper out on the worktop with the widest side top and bottom.
Run your hand under the cold tap and smear it over the paper if it won't behave and lay flat!
Put the butter in the centre. Spread it into an oblong, then wrap and roll it up like a Christmas cracker by twisting the ends.
Put it into the fridge to set. When it has, you can unroll it and slice it into thick slices.
Freeze it
Roll it back up and pop it into a freezer bag. It will keep for about 2 months.
The range of compound butters is limited only by your imagination. Have fun and experiment! 😀
More flavoured butter ideas include:
Orange and black pepper butter
orange - zest only
black peppercorns - coarsely ground
Christmas butter
a few dried cranberries - chopped
a few sprigs of fresh thyme - leaves picked
fresh rosemary sprigs - leaves picked and finely chopped
a few fresh sage leaves - finely chopped
salt and black pepper to season
1 clementine
Garlic and parsley butter
finely chopped parsley
1 crushed garlic clove
Chilli, coriander & lime butter
lime - zest only
red chilli - deseeded and finely chopped
fresh coriander (cilantro) leaves - finely chopped
Have you tried this recipe? Please leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ star rating in the recipe card below!
Compound Butter Recipe (Flavoured Butter)
Thyme, cumin seeds and orange pair perfectly with carrots. Add a slice to the cooked carrots.
Ingredients
- 250g pack unsalted butter - at room temperature
- a small bunch of fresh thyme - leaves only
- a pinch of cumin seeds
- 1 orange - zest only
Instructions
- Rinse the thyme stalks in hot water for about 20 seconds, then let them cool until they’re easy to handle. Once cooled, strip the leaves from all the stalks.
- Place the thyme leaves in a bowl with the softened butter, cumin seeds, and orange zest, then mix everything well using a wooden spoon.
- Place your sheet of greaseproof paper on the worktop with the widest side facing you. If it keeps curling up, run your hand under cold water and lightly smooth it over the paper to help it lie flat.
- Dry your hands, then put the butter in the centre. Spread it into an oblong, then wrap and roll it up like a Christmas cracker by twisting the ends.
- Place it in the fridge to set. Once it’s firm, unroll it and cut it into thick slices.
- To freeze: Roll it back up and pop it into a freezer bag. It will keep for about 2 months.
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