Making Butter - In 7 Easy Steps

What you will need:

Organic Cream (We got ours from a local farm but you can also buy heavy whipping cream from the store.)

Quart Canning Jar & lid

Ice and Cold Water

Plastic wrap

Something to use as a mold

Fine Ground Sea Salt (Optional)

Step 1: Pour cream into a canning jar. I only filled mine halfway but you can fill it up almost to the top. Secure the lid tightly to make sure it doesn't leak. 

Step 2: Shake it! Shake it, shake it, shake it. And shake it some more. The closer to room temperature the cream is the faster it turns to butter. (If you have littles who like to help you can have them roll the jar back and forth on the floor and make a game out of it). 

Step 3: Finally after all of your shaking it should look like this. Now you are going to want to strain the buttermilk (aka the liquid around the butter) off. Which make delicious biscuits or pancakes by the way. Use a spoon to press as much out as possible, then dump the butter into a bowl.

Step 4: Next you want to "wash" the butter. No, you aren't shoving it in the dishwasher or under water in the sink. Just pour some very cold water into the bowl with the butter and add a couple ice cubes. Use the spoon to press and stir more buttermilk out. 

Step 5: Drain off the water and ice with out losing the butter. Use the spoon to press the water back out of the butter. Now is the time to add the salt if you like salted butter. 

Step 6: Pick what you want to use as a mold. I used a small ramekin that we use for shepherd's pies. Line it with plastic wrap.

Step 7: Spoon the butter into the mold and smooth. Slip into the refrigerator until hardened. Remove it from the mold and wrap in parchment paper or more plastic wrap. Or skip the wrapping and go for a pretty butter dish.