
Homemade butter may not naturally spring to mind as a good holiday gift, but I've found that paired with a small jar of jam or honey, it makes a wonderful present that people are thrilled to receive. Making butter is easy, especially if you have a stand mixer. I use the paddle attachment to agitate one pint of cream for approximately 10 minutes, until the whey begins to separate from fat globules (until it looks like this).
Strain the butter, put it into a small bowl and rinse with icy cold water. Using a wooden spoon, work the butter to smooth it and squeeze any remaining water out of the butter. The more moisture you can remove, the better. Pack the butter into a small jar (I used an wide mouth, eight ounce canning jar) and refrigerate. If you want to get fancy, just prior to gifting, sprinkle the top of the butter with flaky sea salt.












