Chile Pepper Butter

Name: Chile Pepper Butter
Prep time: 1 h 10 min
Total time: 1 h 10 min
Ingredients: 2 sticks (1 cup) of unsalted butter, softened at room temperature; 2 jalapeño peppers, seeded and chopped (remove ribs as well); 4 cloves of garlic, minced; 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper; 1 to 2 tablespoons lemon juice

Give your butter a spicy boost with jalapeño and cayenne pepper. Use Chile Pepper Butter to make your corn on the cob pop, or give a loaf of freshly baked bread a bright burst of flavor.

By Bill Dugan, Editor and Publisher

Chile Pepper Butter

I am a big fan of seasoned butter. Everything from honey butter for fresh French bread to herb butter for dinner biscuits to this Chile Pepper Butter for just about anything that can do with a little buttery flavor. Making seasoned butter isn’t hard, but it’s sure to impress your guests because you took the time to make the ordinary delicious.

There’s something special about seeing a dish of specially-made butter on the table. Where a lot of people might skip the butter at dinner, this Chile Pepper Butter just cries out to be spread on warm biscuits, baked potatoes, or corn on the cob. It’s a great way to showcase your hot pepper harvest in a low-key and tasty way. People who might shy away from a hot pepper salsa or freshly sliced or roasted peppers might just take a chance on giving Chile Pepper Butter a try.

Butter absorbs the taste of what’s around it, but it also enhances the flavor of whatever it touches. The creaminess of the butter will balance out the brightness of the jalapeño peppers without hampering their flavor. If you’re feeling adventurous, try adding another type of hot pepper. Even better, make a few batches with different types of peppers to see which one you enjoy most.

You can make this butter ahead of time and let it sit in the fridge for up to a week to really let those flavors meld. If you wind up making more than you can use right away, you can always freeze it. You could even put some into ice cube trays and have it ready for cooking. However you freeze it, consider using a food sealer bag to protect your butter from freezer burn.

Keep some Chile Pepper Butter on hand to take to your next barbeque. People who like their food on the spicy side will surely enjoy slathering some of this butter on their corn on the cob!