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Date Meyer Lemon Butter + Homemade Cream Cheese

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Homemade Cream Cheese

 

I am so very, very excited to share this recipe with you guys today. Dates! They are delicious! I think I’ve always known that but hardly ever cooked with them. That’s going to change for sure in the coming months. Man, this date butter is insane. While this baby simmered on the stove I swear it smelled like bacon. Bacon! Now I sorta get why the two are constantly being paired together.

 

Date Meyer Lemon Butter

 

To add to this crazy good butter, I decided to include meyer lemons for the acid component because: hey I just met you and this is crazy but here’s my number call me maybe? I bought a bag of meyer lemons for the first time a couple weeks ago and fell in love with them hard. Stalkingly obsessed hard. Pretty sure I’m never using regular lemons ever again.

 

Date Meyer Lemon Butter

 

The combination of both of these new-found crushes together in one tasty butter has been rocking my world since day one. I want to eat it all by itself in a dark corner of the room. I’m gonna need serious privacy.

Despite the name, this butter doesn’t actually have butter. Kinda funny isn’t it? Maybe it was coined a butter because of how easy it is to spread. Fruit butters are different than jams and jellies in terms of how long you cook them for. I let mine simmer for roughly 45 minutes but you can let it go for even longer. To be honest, I couldn’t wait any longer it smelled so good. I may have torched the roof of my mouth tasting it off the stove.

My obsession for making a fruit butter was born from my previous obsession with Trader Joe’s fig butter. That stuff, my friends, is bomb. I think I finished the entire contents of that jar within a week of opening. I ate it slathered on a bagel with cream cheese. And it was so good. I woke up in the morning excited to eat it. That’s saying something!

Naturally, I had to eat this lovely date meyer lemon butter with cream cheese and bagels too. All in the name of comparative research, course.

 

Date Meyer Lemon Butter

 

 

Date Meyer Lemon Butter

 

I couldn’t stop at just making a homemade fruit butter. I felt compelled to make a homemade cream cheese too. I never quite realized how easy and straight-forward it was to make cheese at home. You pretty much just mix heavy cream or half and half together with a mesophilic culture starter, or in my case, buttermilk (because that was the quickest, most convenient route, and if you know me, that’s pretty much my middle name(s)) and let it sit on the counter for hours. I have to admit that I was doubtful after about 8 hours. The recipe said it would eventually take the form of a yogurt but mine was nowhere near that state. At hour 10 I was almost ready to dump the entire thing and try the mesophilic culture starter route but when I checked it again at hour 12 I was astounded to find that it really did change into the consistency of a yogurt! Science is amazing!

At that point, you transfer the “yogurt” into cheesecloth, wrap it, and let it hang somewhere to drip whey. After another 12 hours my cream cheese was ready! All I had to do was add a smidge of salt and it was ready to go. This cream cheese tasted like none other that I’ve tried. Super creamy and rich and delicious. As simple as this was to make, I am gonna be all about experimenting with crazy flavor combinations. I adore cream cheese.

 

Homemade Cream Cheese

 

// More sticky sweet things:

 

 

 

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  • Sara @ Cake Over SteakMarch 23, 2014 - 4:31 pm

    Whoa girl. This is awesome. I never even thought about making homemade cream cheese ….and I’m with you on the cream cheese + jam/fruit butter combo on a bagel. AND, that Trader Joe’s fig butter?!??!?! YES. I have some in my fridge that I bought in Philly one time recently … I actually went to TJ’s that time for the main purpose of buying that fig spread after a friend let me have the last of her jar. I will have to try this!ReplyCancel

    • StephanieMarch 23, 2014 - 6:12 pm

      Sara, oh my gosh so you can totally feel me on my fig butter obsession! I want to make so many different kinds now. So much love!ReplyCancel

  • DeniseMarch 23, 2014 - 11:45 pm

    Oh, this sounds insanely good. I am with you on using dates beyond a bowl of oatmeal. I have been using them in nut based tart shells as a binding and they are super good. Cannot wait to try out some this yummy butter!ReplyCancel

    • StephanieMarch 24, 2014 - 7:04 am

      Denise, oh my gosh it would be amazing in a tart! I’m definitely planning on buying dates in bulk so I can swap them in for sugar in most of my baking goods. I think they could be interchangeable with bananas in most cases!ReplyCancel

  • Lil @ sweets by sillianahMarch 24, 2014 - 12:00 am

    girlfriend, this is too much goodness in one post! You know what’s crazy, I don’t think I’ve ever eaten dates…but you’ve changed my mind – especially if they smell like bacon! lol… but seriously, I’ve bookmarked quite a few recipes using medjool dates but have yet gotten around to any of them. I need to get on it!

    And seriously, homemade cream cheese? I must try this one day!ReplyCancel

    • StephanieMarch 24, 2014 - 7:05 am

      Lil, I think you’d LOVE dates! I can imagine you’d create all sorts of delicious crazy goods using them. I want to make cookies and bars and ice cream with them. The possibilities are endless!ReplyCancel

  • thelittleloafMarch 24, 2014 - 5:48 am

    Wow, that looks and sounds utterly delicious. And homemade cream cheese? Perfection.ReplyCancel

    • StephanieMarch 24, 2014 - 7:06 am

      Kate, thanks so much! It seriously is so good. I’ve already made a huge dent in the date butter and cream cheese– so very sad!!ReplyCancel

  • AlexJune 16, 2014 - 9:58 am

    Wow! These look amazing. Can’t wait to try the butter.ReplyCancel

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  • Erin @ The Spiffy CookieAugust 3, 2014 - 8:32 pm

    Wow I have been wanting to make my own yogurt but it never occurred to me to try my hand at cream cheese! It’s gotta be amazing fresh.ReplyCancel

  • Lu @ Super Nummy Yo!November 14, 2014 - 4:50 pm

    This is SO COOL. I love making my own fresh ricotta. Now I’ll have to try homemade cream cheese! Also, gorgeous gorgeous photos.ReplyCancel

  • GabrielleMarch 17, 2015 - 6:15 pm

    This looks so unique and delicious. My mouth actual watered as I read through the post!ReplyCancel

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