Compound butter is like ordinary butter, except where ordinary butter is soft, plain and boring, compound butter is mixed with herbs, spices, nuts, vinegar or other ingredients. It’s easy to make yourself and absolutely delicious.

Garlic butter

Here’s a recipe for simple garlic butter, which is amazing on corn on the cob, baked potatoes and toast.

If you’re feeling funky, add a dash of white wine and vinegar.

Roasted almond butter

Need something a little more challenging? Give this roasted almond butter recipe a spin. The nutty flavour goes with meat, heavier fish and mushrooms.

Maitre d’Hotel butter

Feeling a little fancy? Do it like how the French do, with butter with parsley, salt, pepper and lemon juice is an absolute legend in the compound butter scene (it even has a Wikipedia page). Try this recipe from the Cooking Channel that calls for cayenne pepper and Dijon mustard.

Coffee butter

What? Coffee in butter? That’s right! Use coffee-infused butter in your cookies, chocolate cake, pancakes and other desserts that would benefit from coffee undertones, not to mention a little caffeine. Here is an actual compound butter recipe, versus others that claim to be “coffee butter” without any actual butter involved.

Chipotle butter

Taco Tuesday is Taco LOSE-day if you’re using ordinary butter to prepare tortillas and ground beef. Sam the Cooking Guy describes his own Chipotle Compound Butter thus: “A simple and most delicious way to dial the flavour of almost any protein (steak, chicken, pork, seafood) way the hell up.” Arriba!

Bittersweet honey curry butter

This spicy-sweet butter with honey, sea salt and curry powder is perfect on naan, roti and roasted vegetables, but also try it on steak, sausage, tomato-based pasta sauce and pizza.

Whisky butter

With two ingredients, whisky butter’s name is also it’s recipe. This sharp, smoky butter is perfect for deep-fried meat and fish, steak, smoky BBQ and sauteed mushrooms.

Worried about alcohol content? Don’t worry, alcohol cooks off.

Cinnamon butter

Here’s another one for the dessert lovers. This recipe for cinnamon compound butter, with a little vanilla, is perfect for cinnamon rolls, waffles and coffee cake.

Spiced chai butter

Another one that’s perfect for desserts, but also try this spiced chai butter recipe with cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon and brown sugar on banana bread, baked apples, muffins and yams.