Butter candles add edible ambiance to the table and TikTok 'loaves' it
With billions of views on TikTok alone, butter candles are heating up.
Goodbye butter boards, it's time to light the flame on a new trend using the spreadable, salty staple accompaniment for bread.
Reintroducing, the butter candle.
The trend that first sparked interest on TikTok in late December 2021 has heated back up both online and in real life.
The edible compound butter trend has hit feeds just in time for holiday entertaining to take the simple must-have pairing to the next level.
Suzy Farmar, who goes by @sooziethefoodie on TikTok, has shared food content online since 2015, but her 24-second butter candle video last year amassed over 2.4 million views.
"I definitely see people still interacting with and loving the butter candles," she told "Good Morning America."
She used Vermont Creamery butter in her viral how-to video, but said she's seen also other ingredients utilized, such as "a beef tallow candle" at one of her favorite Orlando, Florida, restaurants, Bull & Bear.
Much like a soy-wax blend meant for adding aromas to the home, the churned dairy versions have taken on many shapes: cylindrical pillars that melt directly into a partially-hollowed out loaf or smaller squared-off votives intended for dipping.
Chef Jordan Andino's soon-to-open full-service, elevated dining venture Carriage House in New York City will also feature the hot trend.
The "Cook at All Costs" host created a variation for what they've dubbed "solidified bread service," combining thyme, rosemary, sage, lemon and cinnamon for an herb-infused compound butter. Guests are encouraged to dip fresh focaccia into the flavorful butter as it melts onto the plate.
"Everyone loves melty butter. I was inspired to create the butter candle because of a personal frustration where you dip the bread into cold butter and it rips up the bread," Andino told "GMA" of the relatable condiment conundrum. "We wanted to create an elevated bread moment at Carriage House where everyone has this unique butter candle prepared with compound butter that will change seasonally and offers a 'wow' moment at the start of the meal."
He continued, "Warm butter and bread to dip, and it’s complementary for all guests, can’t beat that."
Like many viral food trends, this simple idea with a base ingredient and instructions can be easily adjusted for swaps and variations.