On Butter
Butter. Butterscotch. Brown. Cocoa Butter.
Butter is one of those things that my mom specifies on the shopping list. Right underneath the “eggs” she circles “butter” and writes, in all caps, “NO MARGARINE.” Because margarine ain’t nothin’ but oil. Though imitation is the highest form of flattery, my mom is not a fan of margarine’s attempt to plagiarize butter’s swag.
How does one even replicate the creamy milk film churned into thick smooth perfection without the essential dairy product? You need milk for butter and you need butter for anything you want Miss Marie, AKA my momma, to bake. You know what else you need butter for? Butterscotch.
You need butter for butterscotch and I don’t even like butterscotch that much, but I like the way butterscotch sounds. And to my dismay, the syrup doesn’t have a sip of scotch whiskey in it. Maybe I’d like it better if it did. But it doesn’t. It’s mainly just butter and brown sugar with a touch of cream, a splash of vanilla extract and a pinch of salt. I’m not sure why butterscotch requires brown sugar, instead of regular schmegular white sugar, but it does. Also, let’s face it, most brown counterparts have more calories; and more calories equals better taste.
That brings me back to butter. Brown butter. I’ve never seen it, never used it and I don’t think I’ve even heard of it. But it popped in my head and I know it exists. A quick Google search confirmed that brown butter is real. The French use it in savory dishes and in pastries. That’s some fancy ish, right there. And, of course, it has more calories which means more flavor. Its brownness comes from being tempered over low heat then cooled, or it can be used in its liquid state.
The transformation from creamy yellow to buttery brown seems simple. But you know what buttery transformation I don’t understand? Cocoa Butter. I just don’t get it. Cocoa butter is in chocolate and we eat chocolate, but cocoa butter is cocoa butter. We rub it on our skin to get that royal glow that petroleum jelly just can’t deliver. From a humble seed, the cocoa bean is fermented, dried, roasted, pressed and a whole bunch of other steps that I missed because it’s just too much. And yet, the complicated process doesn’t bother me. Why should it? I’ll take it all. Bring on all the butters #spreadsomelove #thebutters.
Manseen is one of our early customers here at Runako, she was originally part of the test pool for our body butter and we are proud to be part of her daily skincare regimen. Manseen is an editor and writer at Complex and Villages Tales Publishing. Check her out at