DIY Neighbor Gifts: Cran-Raspberry Butter

Yvonne of Tried and Tasty shares her recipe for a delicious, unique homemade neighbor gift that is perfect to share during the holidays!

Growing up, one of my favorite traditions around the holidays was planning how we were going to execute our holiday baking for neighbors and friends. I don’t know what I looked forward to more: the late nights in the kitchen with my mom and sister, the Christmas movies or music playing in the background, or the warmth of the fire crackling as we mixed, stirred, and baked. The list of treats rarely changed from year to year and about a month before Christmas we’d start looking at our calendars scratching off grocery shopping days, baking days, and delivery days. As the years went on we’d start to learn what our neighbors would give to us, and they began to learn what they would get from us. Oh how we loved The Brown's tamales, The Workman's cheeseball and crackers, and of course the Roman's toffee. Exchanging homemade treats at Christmastime was something we looked forward to all year long. Now that I’m grown up, married, and my parents have moved away it’s time for new traditions.

If you’re like me, homemade gifts are almost always a must. No matter how busy the month is I try to make a little time in the kitchen a priority. There’s just something about packaging up goodies that were made from the heart in your home that are more special than grabbing a ‘last minute thought’ on one of your grocery shopping trips. A handful of months ago I found a recipe for some ‘from scratch’ buttermilk biscuits that I have absolutely fallen in love with. As I began to brainstorm what I wanted to do this year for our neighborhood gifts the thought of hot fresh biscuits with homemade butter came to mind. Not just any butter - a seasonal favorite. Cranberry and raspberry not only scream Christmastime but they also make the most gorgeous shade of pink that’s PERFECT for Christmas. With less than five ingredients and less than 10 minutes you can make the perfect accompaniment to hot biscuits or rolls that your neighbors will be sure to gobble right up!

Cran-Raspberry Butter

INGREDIENTS

1 cup butter
1 cup fresh cranberries
1 pint fresh raspberries
1/4 cup honey

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a small sauce pan bring 1 cup water to a boil.
2. Add cranberries and cook until softened; 3-5 minutes.
3. Drain & add cranberries & raspberries to your Blendtec Twister jar.
4. Blend on low speed 30 to 60 seconds until smooth, turning the Twister lid counter-clockwise during blending.
5. Add honey & butter, blend again on low speed until mixed well.

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