These late spring days in New York are just lovely – we get some gorgeous, sunny warm days interspersed with cool, misty, rainy ones. I love walking through my neighborhood bathed in the bright green foliage of the trees and hearing birds chirping away. My community garden is especially exuberant right now, with flowers blooming in all their glory and butterflies fluttering from blossom to blossom. All this beauty in the natural world fills my heart with joy – it’s a reminder to appreciate our planet and care for it and all its creatures.

I’ve been making more frequent trips to the farmer’s market near me – the stalls are filled with beautiful spring produce, tempting me to toss out my prior plans and dream up new ones inspired by the fresh greens and herbs. This week, the market was especially colorful, with stunning poppies, peonies, and lilacs – the latter smelled so heavenly I brought a bunch home. A few stalls were also carrying edible flowers. I’m all for creating little moments of joy in life, so I picked up a variety – soft mauve chive blossoms, and bright purple and yellow violas. One stall had delicate little yellow flowers, which I learned were bok choy blossoms. When I asked to buy a few, the farmer was surprised and insisted on giving them to me as a gift. My joy multiplied a thousandfold at that small gesture of kindness. Inspired by this precious haul of beauty, I decided to use the flowers to make herb butter.

Good butter and good bread can make a perfect small meal or snack. I gained my love of butter from my mom when I was growing up in Bangladesh. She loved butter and would have it daily – and not just for breakfast. In the late afternoons, she often made herself a little snack: butter on “toast biscuits” (similar to rusks), butter on bakarkhani, or butter on slices of baked bread. She’d sometimes add unexpected things – a spread of soft jaggery (gur in Bengali) or even a sprinkle of sugar. I would join her at the dining table and savor these simple, buttery pleasures. (Despite her love of butter, my mom was always slim and never had heart issues — something I attribute to her balanced diet of fresh, whole ingredients and her dislike of processed junk food.) Since moving to New York, my love of butter has only grown, thanks to the discovery of many incredible varieties.

Herb Butter with Edible Flowers: What It Is and How to Choose the Best Butter

Also known as compound butter, this is simply butter mixed with chopped fresh herbs. Add edible flowers, and you get a dish that’s not only delicious but also beautiful – like a work of art that brings instant joy.

Because butter is the main ingredient, it’s essential to use a high-quality one. Look for traditionally made, cow’s milk butter with minimal ingredients. I’m lucky to live in NYC, where there’s an abundance of local and imported options. One of my favorites is Beurre D’Isigny, a butter from Isigny Ste Mère in Normandy, France. Made from grass-fed cow’s milk, it naturally contains high levels of mineral salt and is produced using a traditional slow process that lasts 16–18 hours before being churned. The result is a pale-yellow butter that’s rich, creamy, and silky – pure culinary luxury.

I use their salted version, which contains beautifully balanced salt crystals – perfect for herb butter with edible flowers. If you’re using unsalted butter, I recommend adding a salt with soft crunchy flakes like Maldon Sea Salt.

European style butter will be tastier for this since they are creamier and richer due to their higher butterfat content. I also love the Belgian Les Pres Sales butter with coarse sea salt from Camargue. Another great option is Kerrygold Salted Butter, or you can get local varieties that you like the taste of.

Start with room temperature butter. Add chopped fresh herbs – I use a little fresh thyme and a couple of chopped chive stalks. Don’t overdo it; you want the herbs to complement, not overpower, the butter. Mix them in thoroughly, then fold in the petals or whole blossoms of the edible flowers. This first mix ensures balanced flavor throughout. Finally, add a few whole blossoms on top for decoration – this is where you can have fun and play artist.

This butter tastes best at room temperature. Serve it with a crusty baguette – it’s truly delicious. We smeared the herb butter on slices of baguette from my favorite French bakery around the corner – it was so fantastic I couldn’t stop eating (next time I’ll try to exercise some self-control!).

You can store the herb butter with edible flowers in the fridge for a few days. Just be sure to let it come back to room temperature before serving for the best flavor and texture.