How to make chive blossom butter

I just love the chive flowers when they appear! Maybe it's because they're purple and purple flowers are my favorite. Or maybe it's because they're one of the few edible blooms that I grow. I'm not sure why I love chive blossoms so much, but I do know that as soon as I see them opening I get a sense of urgency to use them all and quickly!

Like many flowers, chive blossoms drop seed when they die off. Unfortunately it seems like ALL the seeds grow the next year. I didn't harvest my chive blossoms exactly once. I was overrun with mini chive clumps the next year. Never again!

I have been making chive blossom vinegar for a few years now but this was my first time using chive blossoms to make a compound butter. It's very simple to make and only uses a few ingredients, but it is heavenly on fresh bread! The chive blossoms add just a hint of chive flavor.

Chive blossom butter recipe

This recipe was inspired by my brother who used to manage a  homestyle spaghetti restaurant down in Pittsburgh. They had the best homemade garlic butter for their fresh bread! I always wanted to try to replicate it, but I don't cook with garlic all that much. 

The chive blossoms are in bloom right now and I need to use them up, so I figured I'd give it a try and see what I can come up with. 

I decided to add some fresh parsley since my parsley is growing like crazy right now. This clump of parsley is in its second year, so I'm sure it won't last more then another month or two (parsley is a biennial). Using parsley also keeps this recipe closer to the original garlic butter which had parsley in it too. 

I added a bit of Himalayan sea salt since I use that in everything. It was amazing!

Ingredients:

• 1 stick of unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 tsp fresh parsley
• 5-6 chive blossoms
• 1/8 tsp Himalayan sea salt

Unwrap butter and place in small mixing bowl. Rinse the parsley and chive blossoms. Pat dry with paper towels. I like to put the chive blossoms in the dehydrator for about 20 minutes to get some of the excess moisture out of them. You could always just let them sit out for a few hours. I like them to be wilted just a tiny bit.

Remove green parts from chive blossoms and chop the flowers or use herb scissors to cut them into smaller pieces. Finely dice parsley. Mix salt into butter. When the salt is completely incorporated add in the chive blossoms and parsley. Mix by hand until well blended.

You could shape your compound butter into a log and wrap tightly in plastic wrap, or just heap it into a container and put a lid on it. Refrigerate til firm. I made it ahead of time so it could set for a few hours before using, to let the flavors blend.

If you chose the log method, once chilled simply unroll and slice it. If you just threw it into a container like I did, use a mini ice cream scoop to make small butter balls. Serve with fresh bread. 

I also like to use this in place of plain butter on baked potatoes or corn on the cob. It is so good and a pat of chive blossom butter looks very pretty on top of steamed veggies! It would be amazing on top of fresh grilled vegetables too!

I like a mild chive taste so I only use a few flowers, If you like a stronger taste add more chive flowers to suit your taste buds. For a much stronger taste, chop some chives and add them in too. 


That's actually the fun part about making compound butters...you can add almost any herbs or spices to suit your tastes. There are lot's of other ways to use chive blossoms too. Check out some of my favorites! Enjoy!

~L

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