Can YOU Make Butter?

Can a kid make butter? You butter believe it! 

Try it yourself. You’ll need . . . 

Pour cream into the jar and  cap it tightly.  Shake. Shake.  Shake.  Keep shaking.  Getting tired? Pass the jar to a  friend. Or roll the jar on its side,  back and forth. Or stick it in a  backpack and go for a run. Some  runners make butter this way!

Around the 15-minute mark, listen to your jar as it sloshes. Does it sound different? Butterfat may have started separating from the liquid. (The liquid is buttermilk—great for making pancake batter.) Peek inside. Do you see clumps of solids floating in the liquid? The separation process should be finished between 15 and 30 minutes of constant shaking.

Strain out the buttermilk.  Save it for later, drink it, or toss it.  Put the solids in a strainer lined  with cheesecloth. Rinse it with cool  water. Squeeze it and rinse again to  remove all the buttermilk. Pat the  blob dry with a clean cloth or paper  towel. Then with clean hands, mold  the butter into the shape you want.  Want to add extra ingredients?  Salt? Garlic? Lemon? Herbs?  Butter with add-ins is called  “compound butter.”  Use your imagination! Could  your homemade butter become  a Christmas gift?

You did it!  Butter is one of God’s  good gifts. In the Bible,  Job remembers his good  life like this: “My steps  were washed with butter.”  (Job 29:6)

Friends

You’re going to be doing a lot of shaking. Share the fun so your arm doesn’t get too tired.

A jar with a tight-fitting lid

Let’s go!

To make a pound (about four sticks’ worth), use a quart of cream. Or make half that much with a pint.

Heavy whipping cream