Butter Candles Light Up As Latest Hosting Craze—Here’s How To Make Your Own
Photo 173601019 © David Munoz Gonzalez | Dreamstime.com
You know what’s better than butter? Butter that looks, well, better. Butter candles are the internet’s new favorite addition to charcuterie boards, melting out the popularity of another recent food trend, butter boards.
Something about an edible candle sculpted out of garlicky butter, before being melted down by a flame to form a warm dip for a slab of crusty bread, is sparking the inspiration for holiday tables around the world. In fact, butter candle videos have been viewed 7.7 billion times on TikTok—which is about the same number of people on this planet, to put things into perspective.
One of the first creators to share a step-by-step video on how to make these candles is Suzy Farmar (@sooziethefoodie), who posted her tutorial a year ago. Farmar tells TODAY she was inspired to create a butter candle after coming across tallow candles, an ancient form of candle crafted from saturated animal fat. She then swapped out the tallow for the tastier, vegetarian-friendly, option.
@sooziethefoodie My favorite thing to make is hands down butter candles #candle #butter #nye
♬ TO THE MOON - Jnr Choi & Sam Tompkins
@foodiaz It’s holiday hack season 🎠tag a friend who needs to try this food hack #breadandbutter #holidayfood #yummy
♬ It's Beginning to Look a Lot like Christmas - Michael Bublé
Can’t have dairy? You can use a vegan alternative, as TikToker Ashley Wicka has. Your guests won’t believe it’s not butter! An illuminating bonus of this holiday hack is that it can be adapted for various diets. If you’re lactose-intolerant or follow a Paleo lifestyle, you can clarify the butter (which removes lactose or casein) or replace it with store-bought ghee.
@ashleywicka butter candle?!? 😯 (inspo: @Spoon University)
♬ original sound - ashley
Opting for clarified butter also ensures your candle melts down more smoothly, since the ingredient will be all fat and no water. Water content may cause your candle to sputter a little.
Ever since the craze spread (pardon the pun), several variations on how to craft your own aesthetically-pleasing, edible and dippable candle have sprung up online. Below are two simple ways to do it—one involves shaping the butter into a candle by hand, and the other uses a paper cup.
You’ll never eat garlic bread the same way again.
Sculpting method
You’ll need:
• 1 stick of butter
• Plastic wrap
• Food-grade hemp or beeswax wick, or kitchen twine
1. Unwrap your butter and let it sit until it softens and becomes malleable.
2. Place the butter on a sheet of plastic wrap on your table. Pull one end of the plastic to cover your butter, then smash the block of butter with your hand to flatten it. Place the edible wick in the middle.
3. Using the plastic, roll the butter into a cylindrical shape.
4. Chill the butter in the fridge until it sets.
@sooziethefoodie My favorite thing to make is hands down butter candles #candle #butter #nye
♬ TO THE MOON - Jnr Choi & Sam Tompkins
Melting method
You’ll need:
• 1 stick of butter
• 1 bulb of garlic, roasted (optional)
• Herbs and spices of your choice (optional)
• Waxed paper cup
• Food-grade hemp or beeswax wick, or kitchen twine
1. Prepare your mold by cutting a small hole at the bottom of a waxed paper cup, where you’ll thread a wick or piece of twine through (this will be your wick).
2. Dunk your softened butter into a bowl and mix in your roasted garlic, along with your preferred herbs or spices. Melt the mixture in a microwave or on the stove top.
3. Pour your melted butter into the cup, then chill your edible candle until set. You may want to wrap the top end of the wick around a chopstick or skewer to keep it upright.
4. Once the mixture is set, cut away the surrounding paper border to release the candle.
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It’s worth pointing out that, since real fire will be involved, you should not step away from the table when the candle is lit. Also, make sure that there are no flammable items nearby.
Now, blow the homemade candle out and wish for all dinner tables to come with bread and a butter candle.
[via TODAY and Taste of Home, cover photo 173601019 © David Munoz Gonzalez | Dreamstime.com]
