How To Give Garlic Butter A Spicy Edge

I've been singing the praises of compound butter (which is just flavored butter) since time began. You can make basically anything into compound butter. All it takes is room temperature butter and whatever mix-ins you want to add, whether it's garlic, shallots, herbs, or spices. Sweet compound butter is also totally a thing, but that's a story for another day. Today I'm going to take you on a journey through the savory side of compound butter. More specifically, savory and spicy. It's easy to add a kick to your garlic butter, and the customization is entirely in your hands.

I'll break down chili crisp first as my reigning favorite spice add-on. If you aren't in-the-know, chili crisp is a popular condiment that's been gaining traction in Western nations in recent years. Essentially, it's just oil, chili peppers, fried garlic chips, and seasoning that come together in a perfect harmony of flavors. It can grace everything from stir-fried noodles to pizza. You can even pair chili crisp with ice cream – a wild but still apparently super-tasty pairing. And the condiment also makes for a delicious butter.

To make chili crisp garlic butter, you just need three ingredients: your chili crisp of choice (you can't go wrong with Lao Gan Ma), your favorite high quality butter, and garlic. Just get your butter softened to room temperature, and then spoon in crushed garlic. Add chili crisp to taste — try 2 to 3 tablespoons per stick to start with — and mix it all together thoroughly. Once mixed, wrap your butter up in wax paper, and form a log. Then set it back into the fridge to solidify again. That's all there is to it!

Now that you know the easiest way to make compound butter, you can add any spice or sauce you want, really. Cholula, Tabasco, sriracha (and potential rooster sauce alternatives after everything that happened with Huy Fong) — any sauce is fine as long as you can mix it into your butter evenly. If you're dealing with some very soft butter, you may find it easier to add dry spices like paprika, cayenne, or even dried chili flakes. 

It also depends on the level of spice you're expecting. For a hotter butter, stick with the dry stuff. You'd have to add way too much hot sauce to make a dent in the butter's natural heat-proofing defenses — unless, of course, you're using something ridiculous like Hot Ones' The Last Dab. That's because dairy (including butter) contains casein, a protein that makes the capsaicin in hot peppers seem less spicy. It's why milk, not water, is the best drink to have with spicy food.

Keep the expiration date in mind, too. Once you mix fresh ingredients into your butter, its shelf life drops. Ideally, you should use up any compound butter you make within a few days of making it, and that's with proper fridge storage taken into account. I suggest making smaller and more frequent batches to avoid any of it going bad before you can use it. Unless you're planning a party for all your favorite butter-loving friends — which honestly isn't a bad idea. Alternatively, compound butter can keep for up to three months in the freezer — try splitting it into individual portions first so it's easier to use.