Butter Boards: Your Guide to Being the Most Popular Guest at Every Party
When you make your rounds at holiday parties this year, you might notice something a little different. Tables that used to be covered in charcuterie trays full of meats and cheeses are going to be replaced with a new trend. Butter boards are everywhere.
Are they here to stay? If we have anything to do with it—absolutely.
What is a butter board?
A butter board is exactly what it sounds like: butter layered with spices and other toppings, spread over a board and displayed alongside crackers or bread. The key? Lots of butter, beautiful toppings, and perfect proportions.
What is the butter board trend?
Butter boards started trending on TikTok, of course. Justin Doiron from Brooklyn (on TikTok as @justine_snacks) posted this video in September. Since then, the hashtag #butterboard has generated over 350 million views on the social media app. This original trendsetter is only missing two things:
- A butter spreader or butter knife. It feels a bit more crowd-friendly to spread butter on your own bread rather than have everyone dipping on the same butter board.
- Flavored butter. The toppings add zest, taste, and aesthetic—but they shouldn’t be the only layer with all the flavor components. You can level up your base ingredient by spreading flavored butter on your board and establishing a palate from the beginning.
Who invented the butter board?
The trend went viral on TikTok, but that’s not the first time a butter board recipe has made its rounds. Although we can’t be certain who created the very first one, Chef Josh McFadden is credited for making them well-known in his 2017 cookbook Six Seasons.
How to make a butter board
The best thing about butter boards is that they’re simple to make and versatile—the customization options are endless.
1. Start with your board. You can use just about any board you might normally grab for a cheese or charcuterie display. The biggest thing to think about here is size. If you’re using just one type of butter and one kind of cracker or bread for spreading, maybe go a bit smaller than you might for a big charcuterie spread. The butter can also stick into the grain of wood, so either go for plastic/marble/slate or make sure your wooden board has a nice glossed finish.
2. Now it’s time to select the shining star—your butter. You might have seen some of the trending butter boards featuring plain butter topped with herbs and spices. We’re here to take those butter boards to the next level. With Epicurean Butter, you can make a show-stopping butter board with butter that’s already bursting with the flavor elements you’re trying to create.
3. Spread your butter. Make sure your butter is slightly softened so you can spread it over your board. Have fun with this step and treat it like paint on a canvas! A butter spreader is a no-brainer for this task, but we actually recommend trying a mini spatula on for size.
4. Add your toppings. This is the fun part. Depending on what flavor profile you’re going for (and the flavor of butter base you use), tons of sweet, savory, and salty options are available for toppings. One mandatory ingredient? Sea salt. The bigger the grains, the better. Sprinkle it over your butter before adding the other elements. Some other popular butter board toppings include: Drizzled honey, hot honey, or maple syrup.
- Drizzled honey, hot honey, or maple syrup
- Drizzled olive oil
- Chopped olives
- Figs
- Chili or red pepper flakes
- Edible flowers
- Dried fruit
- Chopped nuts
- Crumbled bacon
5. Finish with the bread. Whether it’s chunks of sourdough, slices of French bread, or a sleeve of crackers, you can’t go wrong here.
Ready to make your own butter board? You can use any Epicurean Butter flavored butter to experiment with this trend, but our favorites to build a board on are Honey Flavored Butter (for a sweet board), Garlic Parmesan Flavored Butter, and Tuscan Herb Flavored Butter.
We love this festive board made with our seasonal Pumpkin Spice Flavored Butter as an easy dish that will impress at your next holiday party. Use the same toppings and swap the butter out for Cinnamon & Brown Sugar Flavored Butter when it isn’t pumpkin spice season.
If you create a butter board with Epicurean Butter, be sure to tag us to be featured on our social media or website.
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