It shouldn’t surprise anyone that when it comes to gift-giving, I’m anti more-stuff. (I didn’t write the no-clutter book, IT’S HERE…SOMEWHERE, for nothin’!) Instead of giving anything that someone might not like, not use, not need, not want, or not have room for, I prefer a safer route: giving homemade consumables.

Obviously, this isn’t a new concept. All December we’re flooded with plates of cookies, loaves of pumpkin or cranberry bread, or boxes of homemade candies. Right? For those who like to bake and cook, December is like nirvana.

And it’s all good (what an understatement!). But by the time New Year’s Day rolls around, aren’t most of us rolling around in a few extra pounds (not to mention rolling around in a sugar coma)?

So how about some suggestions for non-sugary gifts? Gifts that won’t create a sugar spike, that are easy, and fairly quick to make? If you like the idea, here’s what I’m thinking:

COMPOUND BUTTERS. Who gives these? No one. And they’re so so good! Compound butter is common in French cuisine. Like a good sauce or condiment, compound butters serve to enhance the flavor of a dish. The queen of butter, Julia Child, said, “With enough butter, anything is good.” The pros at the site, www.themodernproper.com, suggest these combinations:

1. For steak: parsley + lemon juice (aka beurre maître d'hôte)
2. For chicken: garlic + thyme + lemon
3. For turkey: citrus zest + juice + roasted garlic
4. For bread: garlic + butter (aka beurre à la bourguignonne)
5. For fish: lemon + any fresh herbs

And don’t forget these ideas as well:

Strawberry butter (mash a few strawberries with a little honey and mix into softened butter)

Honey butter (all you need is raw honey and vanilla)

Cranberry butter (just cook ¾ cup cranberries in ½ cup orange juice until popped and tender; let mixture cook, and drain if needed; mix this along with the zest of an orange into 1 cup of softened butter)

Cinnamon butter, a Texas Roadhouse copycat (mix 1/2 cup unsalted softened butter with 1/4 cup honey, a scant ¼ powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and a pinch of salt)

Whipped pumpkin spice butter (1 cup salted softened butter, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice, 1/3 cup pumpkin puree, 1/3 cup raw honey, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; whip your butter with the spices and then slowly add the honey and pumpkin puree)

Making these is not a complicated process. Beginning with a softened stick of unsalted butter and a sprinkle of sea salt, you’ll find yourself getting very creative. But start by mixing your butter and salt in a small bowl. Then add in your choice of herbs, zest, juice, garlic or onions that called to your butter-loving self.

Transfer the butter mixture (now called a compound butter!) to a piece of parchment paper. Roll the butter into a log, twist the ends, and place in the fridge.

After about an hour, the compound butter will have firmed up and you can slice it for use in recipes, on a piece of toast, or in a pot of rice.

Or seal each log in plastic wrap and then roll them up in parchment paper. Add some pretty twine or ribbon to the ends of the logs (along with a note saying it will store up to three months in the fridge).

Or if your recipe is a softer one, then just pipe into a small jar or dish (as seen in the photos above). The jar or dish then become part of the gift. However you choose to present your butters, be sure to include a list of suggested uses and plan on some very delighted receivers!