Compounded Butters: Coconut Walnut and Strawberry Vanilla

Many times over, I’ve shared my love for Kerrygold butter on this blog–the gold standard of butters you can buy! So I was really excited when they contacted me recently about two new products they’ll be offering: Naturally Softer Pure Irish Butter and Reduced Fat Irish Butter. Swoon!

I was lucky enough to be selected to receive tubs of each of these butters to try out and share with you my ideas for using them to take part in a contest Kerrygold is sponsoring. You can imagine my surprise when, the very next day, there it was on my doorstep–butter!

The Naturally Softer Pure Irish Butter was of high interest from the start. Softened butters are a product I don’t normally buy, as they tend to have extras mixed in to achieve spreadability. But there’s nothing worse than tearing apart your bread when you’re trying to make a grilled cheese. Kerrygold knows what they’re doing. On the label are just the two ingredients you should see: cream and salt. It’s even more special because the cream that’s used for this spread comes from the Kerrygold cows’ summer milk, when it is supposed to have the softest milkfat. While I don’t consider this to be all that soft straight from the fridge, it is definitely a better alternative than stick butter.

I grabbed a pad of paper and pen–because brainstorming requires old-school tools!–and got right to work. It’s not that it was a difficult task because butter–especially GOOD butter–is wonderful just as it is; perfectly unadorned and deliciously pure. Setting out to improve on that, however, is a tall order.

But I think I’ve found it! Or, rather, two possibilities that will rival eating plain butter from the tub. Coconut Walnut Butter and Strawberry Vanilla Butter! Whether slathered on bagels or bread, croissants or corn muffins, they turn the ordinary into extraordinary. And they’re so easy to make!

Coconut Walnut Butter: Scoop out 1/2 the tub of Kerrygold Naturally Softer Butter into a bowl and let it sit out for 10 minutes (or toss it in the microwave at 50% power for 10 seconds). Add to it: 1 1/2 tsp light brown sugar, 1/8 tsp ground cinnamon, 2 Tbsp toasted chopped walnuts, and 3 Tbsp toasted flaked sweetened coconut. Mix well, cover, and chill for an hour or two to let flavors meld. Spread with abandon!

Strawberry Vanilla Butter: Transfer 1/2 the tub of Kerrygold Naturally Softer Butter into a bowl and let it sit out for 10 minutes (or toss it in the microwave at 50% power for 10 seconds). Add to it: the scrapings of 1/2 a vanilla bean, 2 tsp powdered (confectioners’) sugar, and 1/4 cup freeze dried strawberries, pulverized. Mix well, cover with plastic wrap, and chill for an hour or two, so the flavors will work together nicely. Try not to eat it directly from the bowl.

Not only will these be delicious on just about anything you can smear them upon, they will also spread fairly well straight from the fridge, thanks to Kerrygold’s new Naturally Softer Pure Irish Butter. Now there are more ways to have butter love!

Disclosure: The views and opinions expressed on this blog are mine alone, based upon my personal experience. While I received complimentary tubs of Kerrygold’s Reduced Fat Butter and Naturally Softer Pure Irish Butter, which were used to write this post, I received no monetary compensation for my review. This post is, however, an entry into Kerrygold’s contest for uses for the new butters, which makes it eligible for prizes Kerrygold will be awarding.