Having recently shared a method for homemade vanilla butter (perfect for making buttercream!), I was inspired to create more sweet compound butter combinations, which is where this cinnamon sugar butter comes in. Learning how to make cinnamon butter with either sugar or honey is simple and makes for a perfect Texas Roadhouse copycat recipe! Homemade cinnamon butter can be made from scratch with cream in under 10 minutes or with pre-made butter in just a couple of minutes. Plus, it’s even better than Texas Roadhouse butter since you can adjust the amounts of all the ingredients to your desired level! Once prepared, this butter is the perfect accompaniment to tons of recipes and some of my favorite baked goods like homemade soft pretzels, homemade Turkish simit, and a dessert tortilla wrap!
The ingredients
Cream: it’s best to use double/heavy cream or fresh cream. This will yield the creamiest butter. Alternatively, you can use store-bought unsalted butter or use your own pre-made butter. The amount of butter you’re able to make with 2 cups of cream will vary based on the fat percentage of the cream. Cinnamon: the star of the show. Use fresh powdered cinnamon for the tastiest results (not the stuff that’s been sitting in your pantry for a questionable time of years!) Sugar: I’ve tested a few combos for this recipe, and in terms of granulated sugar, dark brown sugar yields amazingly caramel-like results thanks to the molasses in the sugar.
OR
Honey: alternatively, cinnamon honey butter would make for the best Texas Roadhouse cinnamon butter copycat recipe. Use high-quality honey with a flavor you love (since honey really can vary!). When making cinnamon honey butter, you can use all honey or a combination of 1:1 honey and powdered sugar. You could also substitute the honey for maple.
You can optionally add a pinch of salt, too, to enhance the flavors within the cinnamon butter.
How to make cinnamon butter
Using cream
Add the cream, sugar (if you’re using honey, then don’t add it at this point), and cinnamon to a large jar or a stand mixer and start mixing. The cream will whip up into whipped cream and then stiffen and begin to become butter. At this time, the fat solids will separate from the buttermilk liquids – this is completely normal. Once it seems like all the cream has separated into the butter and buttermilk, drain the buttermilk from the container. Then gather the butter in your hands to further squeeze it to get out as much of the buttermilk as possible. This cinnamon buttermilk can be stored in the fridge for around a week and used within various recipes like buttermilk pancakes. Then, ‘wash’ the butter to remove all remaining buttermilk (which can cause the butter to spoil sooner and impact the flavor of the cinnamon sugar butter). To do this, add the butter to a large ice bath and squeeze it well. The water will become cloudy; this is normal. Once you’ve thoroughly squeezed the butter, then rinse it with clean water to remove any remaining buttermilk residue. Then, if you’re using honey (not sugar or in addition to the sugar), add it to the prepared butter now and mix it by hand or with the whisk/stand mixer. Alternatively, you can beat the cream into butter, drain the buttermilk, and ONLY then add the sugar and cinnamon to whip into the butter (this way, you won’t lose any flavor into the buttermilk or when washing the butter).
Using butter
To make cinnamon honey butter or brown sugar cinnamon butter using pre-made butter takes just a minute or two. First, soften the butter slightly, so it’s easier to whip. You can do this by leaving it out at room temperature for a while before starting the process. Alternatively, you could microwave a bowl or measuring cup filled with water for around two minutes. Remove it from the microwave, drain the water, and then add the butter to it (the remaining heat will soften the butter in 5-10 minutes). Then, you can either use a hand-held mixer or a stand mixer (or even a fork!) and add the cinnamon and sugar or honey and mix until the ingredients are thoroughly combined.
How to store
Once the cinnamon sugar butter is ready, you can either transfer it to a butter container or shape it into a log and wrap it up with some parchment paper like a Christmas cracker. Store the cinnamon butter at room temperature for 1-2 days or in the refrigerator for between 1-2 weeks. Alternatively, the butter can be frozen for up to six months.
Recipe notes
Use a little vanilla and/or nutmeg: both ingredients pair wonderfully with the cinnamon, and you can use one or both. You can use homemade vanilla extract or vanilla beans straight from the pod. Adjust the ingredients: the above recipe is for cinnamon sugar butter with the levels of sweetness and cinnamon that I love. If you prefer it to be sweeter/stronger, then feel free to adjust the amount to your desired level. Make sure to use real butter: if you decide to use a store-bought option, then use real butter for the best results. For a dairy–free option: feel free to use dairy-free butter or margarine for a vegan option. Use room temperature butter: if it’s too cold, it won’t mix up easily and will take longer to prepare.
More fun DIYs
How To Make Vanilla Butter From Scratch DIY: Homemade Herb Butter (Compound butter) How To Make Avocado Butter (Avocado Compound Butter) DIY: How to make Vanilla Powder Lemon Butter (+ Flavor Variations) How to Make Cinnamon Sugar Cinnamon Toast
If you try this homemade cinnamon butter recipe, I’d love to hear your thoughts/questions below. Also, I’d really appreciate a recipe card rating below, and feel free to tag me in your recipe recreations on Instagram @Alphafoodie!
