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Sweet Sauces and Creams

Brandy Butter

Brandy butter is softened butter beaten with two sugars and brandy, the cold, sweet sauce served with Christmas pudding and mince pies.
Recipe Brandy Butter
  • Difficulty Easy
  • Preparation 10 minutes
  • Servings for 6 people

Brandy butter is the cold sauce that goes on the table in Britain and Ireland next to the hot Christmas pudding: unsalted butter beaten until pale with sugar, then flavored with brandy. A spoonful slowly melts over the warm pudding and soaks into it.

It is also spooned onto warm mince pies, and in the United States the same mixture is known as hard sauce. Using half light muscovado sugar and half icing sugar gives it a soft caramel note and a smooth, creamy texture.

It takes ten minutes, needs no cooking and can be made days ahead, which leaves one less thing to do on Christmas Day.

Ingredients for 6 people

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Method

  1. Put the softened butter in a bowl and beat it with a wooden spoon or an electric hand mixer for 2 to 3 minutes, until it is pale and creamy.
  2. Add the light muscovado sugar and the sifted icing sugar (powdered sugar) and beat until smooth and fluffy, with no grains of sugar left.
  3. Pour in the brandy one tablespoon at a time, beating well after each addition so the butter absorbs it. Taste as you go and stop when the flavor is strong enough for you.
  4. Spoon the brandy butter into a small serving dish, rough up the top with a fork, cover and chill for at least 30 minutes, until firm. Serve it cold, in spoonfuls, on hot Christmas pudding or warm mince pies. Finally, remember to download our App with exclusive content and fewer ads!

Variations and Alternatives

For rum butter, the Cumbrian version, use dark rum and soft brown sugar only, with a pinch of grated nutmeg. You can also replace the brandy with cognac or an orange liqueur, or beat in the finely grated zest of half an orange.

Tips

Use unsalted butter at room temperature: it should dent easily when pressed. Add the brandy a spoonful at a time, beating well after each one: if the mixture starts to look curdled, beat in another tablespoon of sifted icing sugar and it will come back together.

Storage

Brandy butter keeps in the fridge for up to 2 weeks in a covered dish or a glass jar, and in the freezer for up to 1 month. Take it out of the fridge about 30 minutes before serving.

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