The Butter Candle Is the Ultimate Comfort Crossover—But Does It Work?

As it turns out, serving bread and butter can be the opposite of basic. In fact, the appetizer staple could turn into your charcuterie board’s centerpiece, thanks to an innovative presentation hack making rounds on TikTok for the second year in a row.

Creators on TikTok have taken this warm, comforting snack and made it something special: a candle made out of butter and placed in the center of a delightfully-doughy loaf of bread. And it’s no shock that home chefs everywhere are rediscovering (and falling in love with) this recipe hack as temperatures drop—the dish practically begs to be served around a toasty fireplace.

TikTok user @erin_dittmer is one of many creators who have posted how-to videos featuring the infamous butter candle, and her recent video quickly racked up over 10 million views and 600,000 likes in just over a week. Plus, #buttercandle has gained nearly 59 million views and counting. While some have shared concerns about the trend, others can’t get enough.

“I could just see myself laying in bed with my butter candle on a loaf of bread,” one said. “I don’t think that candle could keep up.” Another user chimed in with a next-level suggestion: “This but a big cookie and a chocolate candle ...”

But an overwhelming number of commenters also expressed doubt, aka: Won’t wax melt off of the candle’s wick and into the bread? Luckily, you can find a few food-safe wick options on the market, often coated with hemp or beeswax.

As long as you stick with one of these choices, read the wick’s label, and avoid the wick itself while eating, the butter candle is completely safe to dig into. Beware of wood, cotton, or metal wicks (which are common types).

So now that you know you can consume the butter candle without hurting your digestive system, how can you go about making one yourself? Despite the dish’s sophisticated look, creating one is relatively simple. @erin_dittmer provides simple instructions in her tutorial, starting by listing the ingredients.

What You Need to Make the Butter Candle

Gather a food-safe wick, paper cup, tape, a loaf of bread, butter, and herbs of your choosing. She begins by melting her butter, mixing it with rosemary (sub in whichever flavors suit you) and pouring it into the paper cup.

Place the wick upright in the center of the cup, using tape to keep it secure, then freeze the butter for about an hour or until completely solid. Then, use the same size cup (or the same one, once it’s out of the freezer) to carve out a space in your loaf of bread. Slice vertically around the hole so that your bread is easy to serve, but don’t cut all the way through—your guests will do the pulling.

Remove the frozen butter from the freezer and the cup, trim the wick, and place it in the bread upright. Light the wick, and wait for 10 to 15 minutes before serving so the butter is the perfect melty consistency by the time your friends or family get around to it. Other creators have decided to simply mold room temperature butter into a candle shape instead, skipping the freezer step all together.

You can find many creative variations to experiment with: Creator @elysian.living molded their butter candle into a Christmas tree shape, and @chefklosangeles made a garlic, truffle, and sea salt rendition.

One last thing to keep in mind when it comes to butter candles—they’re candles, so a natural fire hazard. Don't leave your dish unattended. As long as you’re mindful, the viral butter candle is sure to create the ultimate cozy atmosphere, no matter the cold-weather occasion.