Brandy Butter Recipe (2024)

Published: · Modified: by Emma Fajcz · As an Amazon Influencer, we earn from qualifying purchases.

Jump to Recipe

Have you ever had brandy butter--also called hard sauce? It's a delightful combination of flavors and is served on top of a warm slice of plum pudding.

You'll want to serve this homemade dessert topping with plum pudding or homemade mincemeat tarts this Christmas. Be sure to try our 9 British Christmas recipes as well.

Brandy Butter Recipe (1)
Jump to:
  • Ingredients
  • How to Make Brandy Butter
  • Recipe FAQs
  • Store
  • Serve
  • Expert Tips
  • More Christmas Recipes
  • Recipe
  • Comments

Ingredients

Brandy Butter Recipe (2)

Curious what you need to make brandy butter? Let's discuss the key ingredients in this simple recipe.

  • Butter: We use a combination of salted and unsalted but feel free to use either one. The salted helps cut some of the sweetness, while unsalted is typically fresher.
  • Brandy: Adding a small amount of this liquor gives this topping its signature flavor. Only add enough to taste, or the mixture will be too bitter.
  • Icing Sugar: This sweetens the mixture and holds it together.
  • Orange Zest: This brightens up the flavors, but be careful not to add too much, or it will be bitter.

See recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

How to Make Brandy Butter

Grab some icing sugar, butter, vanilla extract, orange zest, and brandy.

Brandy Butter Recipe (3)
  1. Put the butter in a bowl and sift the icing sugar on top. (image 1)
  2. Beat together until lightened in color and fluffy. (image 2)
Brandy Butter Recipe (4)
  1. Add the vanilla, orange zest, and brandy a little at a time until you like the flavor.(image 3)
  2. Serve immediately or refrigerate for later. (image 4)

Recipe FAQs

How do you eat brandy butter?

This British dessert topping is often served with desserts such as Christmas pudding and mince pies. When spooned onto a warm pudding, the butter melts into it to add extra flavor, or is spread on top of a mince pie before eating.

What does brandy butter taste like?

It has a sweet, buttery taste with hints of vanilla, and a slight bitterness from the orange zest and oak from the alcohol.

What is brandy butter made from?

It's made by whipping powdered sugar and butter together with vanilla, brandy, and orange zest. I like to use a mixture of salted and unsalted butter to help balance the sweetness.

Is there alcohol in brandy butter?

Yes, there is alcohol in it. We used 5 to 7 tablespoons in a batch that makes 3 cups. You can substitute this with fruit juice, such as apple juice, or omit it entirely if you prefer.

Store

  • Leftovers: Store in a sealed container in the fridge for 2-3 weeks.
  • Freeze: Store it in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Eat within 1 week of thawing.

Serve

Any warm, heavy dessert goes well with it. Here are some ideas to get you started, although feel free to experiment!

  • Plum pudding or figgy pudding
  • Mince pies
  • Bread pudding
  • Toasted sweet bread (try cinnamon swirl bread, stollen, plum bread)
  • Cinnamon rolls

If you are looking for another British dessert, make sure to try our recipe for Lincolnshire plum bread.

Expert Tips

  • Use both salted and unsalted butter. The salt helps cut the sweetness, while the unsalted adds a fresher flavor.
  • Add the brandy slowly. It's easy to add too much, and then the flavor is overpowering. If you accidentally add too much, simply add more icing sugar and vanilla to balance it out.
  • Tweak the flavorings to your taste.
  • Refrigerate for up to 2 weeks, then serve it cold with Christmas desserts like plum pudding.
  • Freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight in the fridge, and use within 1 week of thawing.

More Christmas Recipes

  • Traditional Figgy Pudding Recipe
  • Candied Lemon Slices
  • Julekake: Norwegian Christmas Bread
  • Roscón de Reyes (Spanish Kings' Cake)

If you liked this recipe and found it helpful, give it some love by sharing!

Follow us on Pinterest, Instagram, YouTube, Threads, and Facebook for more crave-worthy recipes!

The pleasure of a 5-star review would be greatly appreciated!

Recipe

Brandy Butter Recipe (9)

Brandy Butter Recipe

Brandy butter, a sweet and fluffy blend of butter, sugar, brandy, orange zest, and vanilla, is the traditional accompaniment to plum pudding at Christmas. Just mix together the ingredients in one bowl to make this delicious gluten free brandy butter. Everyone will love this classic sauce with plum pudding, bread pudding, or mince pies during the holidays!

5 from 1 vote

Print Pin Favorite Rate

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: British

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes minutes

Servings: 3 cups

Calories: 122kcal

Author:

Ingredients

  • ½ cup salted butter, softened
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 ¾ cups icing sugar
  • 5-7 tablespoons brandy
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2 teaspoons finely grated orange zest

Instructions

  • Place the softened butter in a mixing bowl. Sift the icing sugar on top, then beat with an electric mixer until fluffy and lightened in color.

  • Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl with a flexible spatula, then mix in the vanilla extract and orange zest. Mix in the brandy one tablespoon at a time until it reaches your desired taste. Taste and add additional sugar, vanilla, or orange zest as desired.

  • Serve with hot plum pudding, bread pudding, mince pies, or Christmas cookies. If making ahead, store in the fridge until needed.

Video

Notes

  • Use both salted and unsalted butter. The salt helps cut the sweetness, while the unsalted adds a fresher flavor.
  • Add the brandy slowly. It's easy to add too much, and then the flavor is overpowering. If you accidentally add too much, simply add more icing sugar and vanilla to balance it out.
  • Tweak the flavorings to your taste.
  • Refrigerate for up to 2 weeks, then serve it cold with Christmas desserts like plum pudding.
  • Freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight in the fridge, and use within 1 week of thawing.

Nutrition

Serving: 2TablespoonsCalories: 122kcal (6%)Carbohydrates: 11g (4%)Protein: 1g (2%)Fat: 8g (12%)Saturated Fat: 5g (31%)Polyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 21mg (7%)Sodium: 41mg (2%)Potassium: 4mgFiber: 1g (4%)Sugar: 10g (11%)Vitamin A: 249IU (5%)Vitamin C: 1mg (1%)Calcium: 3mgIron: 1mg (6%)

Serving sizes and nutritional information are only an estimate and may vary from your results.

Tried this Recipe? Tag us Today!Mention @savortheflavourblog or tag #savortheflavour!

« Bisquick Sausage Balls

Sparkling Cranberry Mocktail »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Beth

    Brandy Butter Recipe (10)
    This is great with plum pudding. Nice and fluffy. It's soft and creamy, making it the perfect addition to figgy pudding as well. The orange zest adds a nice touch.

    Reply

    • Emma

      Thanks!

      Reply

      • Georgia

        This was an amazing Perfect
        The zest did add a little something to it
        Thank you. I will make it again
        Georgia

        Reply

        • Emma

          Glad that you enjoyed it, Georgia, and I'm happy to hear that you want to make it again! 🙂

          Reply

Leave a Reply

Brandy Butter Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is brandy butter made of? ›

Method. Beat the butter, sugar and vanilla together until pale, then whisk in the brandy, one tbsp at a time, until you are pleased with the taste. Scrape into a serving bowl and chill for 1 hr or for up to 3 days, before serving.

What can you do with brandy butter? ›

What is Brandy Butter Used For?
  1. Mince Pies. Mince pies taste absolutely gorgeous heated up in the oven with a big dollop of brandy butter on top. ...
  2. Christmas pudding. ​​Christmas pudding tastes beautiful with brandy butter melted all over. ...
  3. Crumpets. ...
  4. Get on our nice list by reducing naughty waste. ...
  5. Join our milkround.

How long does brandy butter last? ›

In the Refrigerator- Brandy butter will keep in the refrigerator in an airtight container for two to three weeks. In the Freezer- You can also freeze this butter for up to three months for later use. Just make sure it's in a well-sealed container. Defrost in the refrigerator and use it within a week.

How do you keep brandy butter from curdling? ›

If you are over generous with the brandy it will curdle so just beat in more sieved icing sugar and it will come smooth again. Serve with the Christmas pudding or even as a cheeky addition to a mince pie.

What is another name for brandy butter? ›

Hard sauce is a sweet, rich dessert sauce made by creaming or beating butter and sugar with rum (rum butter), brandy (brandy butter), whiskey, sherry (sherry butter), vanilla or other flavourings. It is served cold, often with hot desserts.

What's the difference between brandy butter and brandy cream? ›

Brandy butter uses caster sugar, giving the whipped unguent a pleasing graininess that dissolves on the tongue, part of the charm and a foil to the sticky pudding. There's an argument that brandy cream does a slightly better job though, as cream is much higher in milk sugar - lactose - than butter.

Is there alcohol in brandy butter? ›

Specifications. Unsalted Butter (52%) (𝐌𝐢𝐥𝐤), Icing Sugar, Courvoisier® Vs Cognac (4%), French Brandy (3%). For allergens, see ingredients in bold. Keep refrigerated below 5°C.

Can you have brandy butter on toast? ›

Two versions from me, a brandy butter and a Baileys butter too. Stored in the freezer in individual portions so there's no waste either. If you love a good spread of butter on your toast, teacakes or slice of fruit cake then this is definitely right up your street!

How many units of alcohol are in brandy butter? ›

The drink-drive limit is 80 milligrams of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood - which as a rough guide means men should have no more than four units of alcohol and women no more than three before driving. 0.7 per serving), brandy butter (0.3 units) and Irish coffee (1.4 units).

What do you eat brandy butter with? ›

You could even melt some to pour over vanilla ice cream. Seen here served with our steamed Christmas pudding. Cut a slice of warm Christmas pud and add the brandy butter on the side. It can also be used as a buttercream cake filling.

Does brandy butter need to be refrigerated? ›

However they should all keep in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. Make sure that the butter is tightly covered. The butter can also be frozen for up to 3 months and if frozen should be thawed overnight in the fridge and consumed within a week.

What is the difference between cognac and brandy? ›

Examples of brandy include pisco, armagnac or Obstler (a brandy produced in Austria and Switzerland). Cognac, however, is always made with grapes and has a very specific distillation and blending process located in a small, protected area in the southwest of France. considered as brandy, but not all brandy is cognac.”

Why does my brandy butter split? ›

If it's not soft enough the brandy won't combine properly with the butter and it'll look curdled. The other important tip is to mix in the brandy gradually and ensure that each addition is fully combined before adding more. What is this? I've seen suggestions online to add more icing sugar or less brandy.

Can you buy brandy butter? ›

We offer customers both brandy sauce and brandy butter because we can't decide which one we like most! This is made in our kitchens with unsalted farmhouse butter and good cognac. An obligatory accompaniment to Mince Pies and Christmas Pud. Comes in a reusable kilner jar.

Can you refreeze brandy butter? ›

Homemade brandy butter can be kept for quite a while in both the fridge and freezer. In the fridge you can keep it for 2-3 weeks. If you store it in the freezer it can last for a few months, just make sure it's fully defrosted before you want to enjoy it again and then do not refreeze.

Does brandy butter contain alcohol? ›

Ingredients. INGREDIENTS: Butter (Milk) (51%), Icing Sugar, French Brandy (6%).

How alcoholic is brandy butter? ›

Nutritional Information per 100g
Alcohol Content8%
Shelf Life24 Months from production
Shelf Life Once Opened1 month (Refrigerate after opening and use within one month)
Storage Temp - UnopenedAmbient (1°C-30°C)
Storage Temp - Opened1 - 5°C
7 more rows

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Fr. Dewey Fisher

Last Updated:

Views: 5907

Rating: 4.1 / 5 (62 voted)

Reviews: 85% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Fr. Dewey Fisher

Birthday: 1993-03-26

Address: 917 Hyun Views, Rogahnmouth, KY 91013-8827

Phone: +5938540192553

Job: Administration Developer

Hobby: Embroidery, Horseback riding, Juggling, Urban exploration, Skiing, Cycling, Handball

Introduction: My name is Fr. Dewey Fisher, I am a powerful, open, faithful, combative, spotless, faithful, fair person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.