The simplest things can be so much fun for kids, don’t you agree?! Recently my family found a way to make homemade butter and both of my kids were so excited to try it. Sure, you could go to the store and spend a few dollars for sticks of butter, but check out this easy, fun way for your kids to get involved! It’s like a little science experiment and you can make buttermilk pancakes with your freshly made butter and buttermilk you get as a result. I just love learning where our food comes from and making food from scratch!
- a clean marble
- small jar
- heavy cream, chilled
- pinch of salt
- Place the jar, with marble inside, in the refrigerator for at least an hour. (You can do this step before you go to bed so it is chilled and ready for the next day.)
- Pour cream into the cold jar, about half full.
- Shake the jar until you stop hearing the marble and you can see lumps of butter in the liquid. (This step takes about 10-15 minutes, see note on the bottom.)
- Pour the liquid through a strainer to separate the solid butter from the liquid buttermilk and store the buttermilk in the refrigerator so you can use it later.
- Put the butter into a bowl and cover with cold water. Pour the water through the strainer and continue to add water and strain until you’ve washed all of the buttermilk off the butter. (If you leave the buttermilk on the surface of the butter, it will mold and spoil quickly.)
- Stir in salt if desired and put the butter into a butter saver, ramekin, or other container to store. If any liquid appears as you press the butter into a container, pour out and discard.
Note: The larger the jar you use, the longer it will take to form butter. A baby food jar, or a jar of similar size works well for young children.