On July 4th I had a few friends over for a fire that turned into a game night. Iβm not sure how we got on the topic, but I said something about making butter and realized that not everyone has made butter before! Iβm not sure if I did it first in scouts or at science camp, but I went through a stage when that was all I did in my spare time. Dad even made me my own mini churn from a peanut butter jar! Hereβs how you can have fun making your own butter!
What you need:
Heavy cream (half and half works too)
Small jar with a good lid
Salt (optional)
To start, make sure your jar is clean and dry. Fill your jar halfway full with the heavy cream. Now comes the fun part: shaking. Make sure your lid is tightly secured on the jar and shake. It doesnβt need to be shaken super fast or roughly to get the job done, just a consistent speed. Though, the faster you shake the faster itβll turn into butter! So you might want to get some energetic kids in on the job.
After a while, youβll notice the cream sticking to the sides of the jar and almost looking like a thick whipped cream β donβt stop here! Youβre really close! Shake a bit longer and youβll feel your cream separate. There will be a blob of butter and a thin liquid also known as buttermilk. If youβre into baking, you can pour off the buttermilk and save it to use within a few days.
Gently pull the butter blob out of the jar (with clean hands) and shape it into a ball. Here is where you can add flavoring. If you want salted butter, sprinkle a little salt on and mix it into the butter. You could go fancy and add something like honey and cinnamon or garlic and basil. Mix in your chosen seasonings, form it back into a ball – or get fancy and make a fun shape. Your butter will last at room temperature for 3-5 days and in the fridge for 7-10 days.
If youβre doing this craft with your kids, you can use it as a way to teach them a little science (and get some energy out). Hereβs anther blog I found that has a little bit of a different breakdown specifically for kids:
https://littlebinsforlittlehands.com/make-homemade-butter-thanksgiving-edible-science/
π As always, if you take any fun pictures or videos, tag me on Instagram @SmileMakePeopleWonder and use the hashtag #DandelionSmiles. Donβt forget to subscribe so you donβt miss out on the next exciting idea!
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