Most folks think making butter is a time-consuming chore requiring a lot of muscle.

Well, it used to be. It still is if you use the pounding in a butter churn method, or the shake it in a mason jar method.

However, I'm lazy. I prefer this method - I'm all about making the appliances do the work.

This usually takes me 20 minutes to make, from the time I start pulling ingredients out to the time I put dirty dishes in the dishwasher. Don't let the number of steps fool you - most of that time is spent waiting, not working.

Cost: $5 for a quart of cream, of which we used half (one pint), so the portion used here was $2.50, which made about 8 ounces of butter.

Step 1: Gather Ingredients & Equipment

Heavy whipping cream - this says minimum 36% milk fat on the label
If you buy a pint of cream, expect to make about a cup of butter.

Salt, optional

Blender

Measuring cup, optional

Not shown:

Spatula / scraper for blender

Plate

Small container to store butter

Step 2: Pour Cream Into Blender

Add salt to taste here if desired. I wouldn't go over 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon salt to 2 cups cream to start.

Step 3: Turn on Blender

Select highest speed you're comfortable with on blender. On this mixer, that's the "liquefy" setting. However, on liquefy, the thing sounds like a jet engine in my very tiny kitchen. So, comfortable for me is "grind", which bumps the decibels down to a slightly less painful level.

Step 4: Wait for the Magic

This is the hardest step. It takes about 15 minutes total for steps 3-6 with my blender. Your blender may vary. That includes the time that the blender is stopped & I'm peeking inside to check the progress.

First, the cream will turn into soft whipped cream, about 2-3 minutes. Then stiff whipped cream, about 3-5 minutes.

During these 3-5 minutes, when you stop the blender to peek inside, use the spatula to scrape the whipped cream back down onto the blender blades

Step 5: Wait for It...

Then it will start to get a little grainy. Those little grains are the beginning of your butter.

Keep waiting. I know you've been peeking, just keep waiting and listening and peeking and scraping the almost-butter back down.

The grains will be growing bigger and bigger. Then, the cream will start to liquefy again. That's what you're waiting for. This takes about 10 minutes in my blender (including peek time).

Step 6: You'll Know When It Happens...

Finally, after about 13-15 minutes, the blender will make a funny noise - it will sound like you're blending liquid again instead of whipped cream. Stop the blender. You now have butter. It will be a barely cream, almost white color, not the bright yellow of store-bought butter. If you absolutely HAVE to have yellow butter, feel free to add some yellow food coloring.

Step 7: Get Ready to Eat

Carefully, drain the liquid, leaving the butter in the blender.

Sometimes we rinse the butter, as it's supposed to make it last longer. Mostly though, it doesn't last long enough to spoil.

To rinse, add cold water to the blender, and pulse a second or two. Drain the water. Repeat until the water runs clear.

If the butter gets too warm and soft, put the blender in the frig or freezer for a few minutes, then pick up where you left off.

Step 8: Enjoy Your Butter

Scrape the butter out of the blender onto a plate. You will probably have to take off the blades to get the last bit out. Pat dry with a clean dish towel or paper towel. Using your scraper, press gently to get the liquid out, then blot. Repeat until the butter is dry enough for you.

Press butter into a container, cover and refrigerate. Or, enjoy some right now. It will be the texture of whipped butter spread, but will solidify in the frig.

Some liquid may rise to the surface in the frig. That's ok - just pat off the liquid and enjoy your butter.