Nothing says Christmas quite like a good dollop of brandy butter melting into a steaming Christmas pudding. It’s one of the easiest festive recipes you can make: soft unsalted butter, icing sugar and a proper splash of brandy, beaten together until pale, fluffy and ready to spoon onto something warm. Here’s our simple brandy butter recipe, plus a few ideas for what to do with the jar once it’s chilling in the fridge.
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What is Brandy Butter?
Brandy butter is one of the simplest festive recipes you can make: softened butter, icing sugar and brandy, all beaten together until pale and fluffy. All you need is a bowl and a wooden spoon (or an electric whisk if your arm’s not up to it). Spoon it onto something hot and watch it melt into a glossy, boozy sauce right in front of you.
Brandy Butter vs Brandy Sauce
Brandy butter is thick and served cold, so it melts over your pudding, while brandy sauce is more like a boozy custard, made with milk or cream and served warm from a jug. Both have their place on the Christmas table, but they’re very different things. If you’ve only ever tried one, it’s worth putting both on the table this year and seeing which one wins.
Why it’s also called “hard sauce”
Cross the Atlantic, and brandy butter goes by the name “hard sauce” – which sounds rather less inviting than it actually is. The name comes from the texture: chilled, it sets firm enough to slice, then softens beautifully as it lands on a warm pudding. It’s much the same idea as our flavoured butter recipes, just with a little extra Christmas spirit.
What You’ll Need
Three simple ingredients are all you need to make brandy butter. Get the balance right, and not much can go wrong!
Salted or unsalted butter?
Unsalted, every time. Salt just doesn’t belong in something this sweet. It’ll work in a pinch if that’s all you’ve got, but the flavour ends up fighting the sugar rather than enhancing it. Grab a block of unsalted Cornish butter and give it a proper hour out of the fridge before you start.
Icing sugar vs caster sugar
Icing sugar is the best to use in brandy butter because it dissolves completely into the butter with no grainy bits. Caster sugar works too, and some traditional recipes swear by it, but you’ll notice the texture. If smooth and silky is the goal, stick with icing sugar.
Choosing your brandy
Nothing fancy needed, and a decent everyday brandy does the job. That said, skip anything harsh or overly cheap, since you will taste it. If you fancy a change from Christmas to Christmas, cognac works beautifully here too, just a little rounder and warmer.
Brandy Butter Recipe
Ingredients
- 250g unsalted butter, softened
- 300g icing sugar
- 4 tbsp brandy
Method
Beat the butter and sugar together until properly pale, light and fluffy. Don’t rush this bit – it’s what gives you that soft, whipped texture all good brandy butter needs.
Add the brandy a tablespoon at a time, beating well between each addition. Go steady here and do a spoonful at a time to avoid it splitting.
Spoon into a dish, or roll into a log in baking parchment and twist the ends, then chill for at least two hours before serving. It’ll keep in the fridge for a fortnight, so there’s no harm in making it well ahead of the big day.
How to Make Brandy Butter Without It Splitting
The one thing that can catch you out when making brandy butter is adding the brandy too quickly. Add it slowly to give the butter and sugar time to absorb it as you beat, and you’ll end up with a smooth, creamy mixture.
The boiling water trick
If your butter mixture looks a bit stiff or grainy before the brandy’s gone anywhere near it, beat in a teaspoon of just-boiled water first. It loosens everything up and gives the brandy something smoother to bind with. It’s also handy if you want a slightly milder, softer result rather than a strong boozy hit.
Common mistakes and how to fix them
- It’s split or gone grainy – This is nearly always down to cold butter, or adding the brandy too quickly. Keep beating and it often comes back together on its own. If it doesn’t, let the bowl sit somewhere warm for a few minutes and beat again.
- It won’t turn pale and fluffy – The butter and sugar need longer than you’d think, sometimes five minutes or more. Don’t stop early just because it looks “done enough.”
- It’s too boozy or too mild – Taste as you go. Four tablespoons is our guide, not a rule, so adjust to what suits your personal taste.
- It’s gone soft and won’t hold its shape – Pop it straight in the fridge, and it will firm right back up within the hour.
What to Serve Brandy Butter With
Christmas pudding
The classic pairing. Spoon a little brandy butter onto the very top of a hot pudding and let it melt down the sides before it reaches the table. Don’t be tempted to stir it in – the contrast between hot pudding and the cold, melting butter is what makes the festive magic.
Mince pies
Slice the top off a warm mince pie, tuck a small disc of brandy butter inside, and put the lid back on for a minute so it starts to melt. Brandy butter turns an ordinary mince pie into something a lot more indulgent and delicious!
Other festive bakes
It’s not just for pudding and pies. A spoonful of brandy butter is lovely alongside a slice of cranachan cake, or melted over warm Cornish scones instead of your usual jam and cream. And if brandy butter’s not your thing, our Christmas pudding recipe is just as good served the traditional Cornish way, with lashings of clotted cream instead. If you’re serving a full festive spread, a mug of Cornwall Gold hot chocolate alongside makes the whole thing feel like Christmas.
How to Store Brandy Butter, and Can You Freeze It?
How long it keeps in the fridge
Wrapped tightly or kept in a sealed container, brandy butter keeps for a good fortnight in the fridge. The sugar and alcohol both help it along, so it lasts noticeably longer than a savoury flavoured butter would. Keep your fridge between 0 and 5°C, and check the Food Standards Agency’s guidance on chilling and freezing if you want the full detail on safe storage over the festive period.
Can you freeze brandy butter?
Yes, brandy butter freezes brilliantly. Roll it into a log or portion it into an ice cube tray before freezing, so you can break off exactly what you need without defrosting the lot. Love Food Hate Waste recommends this same approach for butter generally, and it means you can make a batch weeks ahead and forget about it until the pudding’s on the table. It’ll keep in the freezer for up to three months, and there’s no need to defrost fully first, just give it a few minutes at room temperature to take the edge off before serving.
Brandy Butter Variations Worth Trying
Once you’ve perfected the basic brandy butter recipe, it’s easy to swap the brandy to create something a little different. Same method throughout, just change what goes in at the end.
Rum butter
Swap the brandy for dark rum and you’ve got rum butter, a Lake District classic that’s every bit as good on Christmas pudding. It’s slightly deeper and more treacly than brandy butter, so it pairs especially well with a rich, fruity pud. A little grated nutmeg stirred in alongside adds a bit of festive spice.
Cognac butter
Use cognac instead of ordinary brandy for something rounder and a touch more refined. It’s technically still a brandy, just made specifically in the Cognac region of France, and the extra smoothness comes through nicely in something as simple as this. Worth trying if you’ve got a bottle open for other reasons over Christmas.
Orange and brandy butter
Add the zest of an orange along with the brandy for a brighter, more festive twist. It cuts through the richness a bit and works particularly well with mince pies, where the citrus plays off the spiced fruit filling. Just don’t add so much zest that the butter goes watery, a teaspoon or two is plenty.
Give It as a Gift
Brandy butter makes a lovely homemade gift, and it takes about ten minutes longer than making this recipe for yourself.
Packing it up
Small jam jars or ramekins work best, sterilised and completely cool before filling. Press the butter in firmly to avoid air pockets, pop the lid on, and finish with a bit of festive paper or ribbon if you want it looking properly gift-worthy. A handwritten label with the date and a quick note to keep it chilled adds a lovely personal touch too.
How long it keeps as a gift
Just like the batch in your own fridge, a jar keeps for around a fortnight chilled, so it’s worth making close to when you’re giving it rather than weeks in advance. If you want to get ahead, freeze it in the jar instead and let the recipient know to defrost it in the fridge, it’ll keep for up to three months that way and arrives just as good as the day you made it.
Brandy Butter FAQs
Can you make brandy butter without brandy?
Yes, though it won’t be brandy butter anymore. Swap it for rum, whisky or even a splash of orange juice and vanilla for an alcohol-free version, using the same ratios.
Is brandy butter the same as brandy sauce?
No. Brandy butter is thick, pale and served cold so it melts on contact with a hot pudding. Brandy sauce is a warm, pourable custard-style sauce made with milk or cream.
How long does homemade brandy butter last?
About a fortnight in the fridge, or up to three months in the freezer. The sugar and alcohol both help preserve it, so it lasts longer than most other flavoured butters.
Can I use spreadable butter instead of unsalted block butter?
You need a proper block of unsalted butter rather than a spreadable tub. Spreadable butter contains oil to keep it soft, so it won’t set into a firm, sliceable brandy butter; it’ll stay loose and won’t hold together properly.
Can you make brandy butter ahead of time?
Yes, and it’s actually better for it. Making it a few days ahead gives the flavours time to settle and mellow. Just keep it chilled, or freeze it if you’re making it weeks in advance.
Is brandy butter suitable for children?
No. The alcohol isn’t cooked out, so the brandy stays at full strength throughout. If you’re serving young children, make a small alcohol-free batch alongside it using the swap above.