Butter boards — softened butter swirled onto a wooden board and flavored with honey, sea salt, herbs, dried fruit and more — are all over social media.
Home cooks can flex a little creative muscle with this endlessly customizable option to make bread and butter a little more interesting. As a bonus, a thoughtfully crafted butter board looks great on a holiday table. Choose a single flavor combination or create a board with several options for guests to dip, swirl and spread.
The basics: You will need softened butter (about two sticks) and flaky sea salt. If you choose unsalted butter, you will want to adjust your sea salt to taste. You will also need a board or serving plate/dish. Spread the softened butter onto the board in your desired shape with swirls and peaks for aesthetic appeal. Once the butter is shaped, sprinkle it with flaky salt before layering with your preferred toppings.
Brown sugar and walnut butter board:
Mix desired quantity of light or dark brown sugar with a small amount of cinnamon and nutmeg (try two tablespoons of brown sugar with 1/4 teaspoon each of spices and adjust to taste). Sprinkle brown sugar mixture over butter and top with walnut pieces and candied orange peel, if desired.
Rosemary fig butter board:
Mince desired quantity of fig and fresh rosemary and sprinkle over butter. Add a tiny bit of orange zest, if desired. Drizzle with balsamic glaze.
Cinnamon honey butter board:
Use a hand or stand mixer to mix room temperature butter with two tablespoons of honey and 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon until smooth. Spread the butter onto your serving board and drizzle with two more tablespoons of honey, then sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon.