Inside the Whimsical World of Modern Butter Sculpture

If you invite Montreal artist Michaela Snoyer over for dinner, don’t expect a typical host gift. While bottles of wine and fresh flowers are nice, Snoyer opts for the spectacular: a molded centerpiece made out of butter.

Butter sculpture has a long history. Snoyer doesn’t claim to have invented anything, but her methods and technique are novel. She eschews the folk art rosettes and floral motifs of traditional wood-carved butter presses, opting for the cheeky, contemporary, and deliberately funny that range between the ribald and mundane. She makes butter toothbrushes, butter stilettos, butter diamonds, and butter remote controls.

"The butter butt plug is a crowd favorite," she says. Sometimes she’ll add a wick, transforming the sculpture into a free-standing candle that, once lit, melts into a pool of yellow as dinner progresses.

She documents her creations on her Instagram account @smorgava. Smorgava means “butter gift” in Swedish, in honor of her Swedish grandmother, for whom Snoyer first made her first butter sculptures. Snoyer doesn’t sell her creations. “They’re specifically for providing an experience for my friends. It's a funny thing. At this point when I show up for dinner, I always have a butter sculpture. That's why I make so many of them.” She says.

When I first came across Snoyer’s account, I immediately understood the appeal. A butt plug made of butter wields a potent charm and charisma that is frankly, undeniable. And her elegant taper-shaped butter candles are a far cry from the ungainly clods of lit butter you see all over TikTok.

To my delight, Snoyer was more than willing to reveal her secrets with me. She finds hard plastic molds designed for making candles, chocolate, and soap the easiest to work with. Melted butter doesn’t resolidify properly, so she works with softened butter, spreading it carefully into the molds. If adding a wick, she sandwiches it between the two halves midway through the process. While it takes a little time and patience, the process is surprisingly easy, and I was able to make several successful butter molds on my first try. Check out a full how-to below:

How to make a butter gift

You will need:

• Butter (Softened to room temperature. The butter is easier to work with if it’s still slightly firm, but soft is fine just as long as it’s not fully melted.)
• Hard plastic molds (Flexible silicone molds don’t work.)
• Cotton wicking (If you want to turn your sculpture into a candle.)
• Small offset spatula (If you don’t have one, you can manage with a butter knife.)

Spread softened butter into one half of the mold, spreading in even, gradual layers to avoid air bubbles. Check underside for unfilled spots as you work. Using your offset spatula, spread the butter to be even and flush to the edges of the mold. Place in the freezer until solid, at minimum 1 hour.

Remove mold from the freezer and invert on a plate or small cutting board. The butter will likely release itself with gravity after a few moments, but you can flex and twist the mold slightly to dislodge the butter if it seems stuck. Once removed, return the molded butter to the freezer.

Fill the other side of the mold with butter in the same way as Step 1. (Note: if you prepare and freeze both sides at the same time, they won't stick together properly.) Remove the frozen half from the freezer and place on top of the side filled with softened butter. Align and press the frozen half firmly, enough so that a little bit of butter pushes up from the edges. If you are too cautious at this stage the sides might not freeze together. Once firmly in place, place the mold in the freezer, with the already solid side on top and the still soft side inside the plastic mold. Freeze until solid.

NOTE: You can also place pieces of toothpick in the center for reinforcement, just make sure that they don’t poke through, and that diners are aware that they are inside.

For making a candle: Cut and measure a piece of wick that is the length of your butter sculpture plus a few inches more (you can always trim it after). Saturate the wick in some melted butter and let cool in the shape it will need to take to fit inside your mold. Once cool, sandwich the wick between the two halves when proceeding with step 3.

Remove mold from the fridge. Wait a minute or so to allow to butter to loosen slightly from the plastic mold, and then carefully twist the plastic mold until the sculpture dislodges. Sometimes all you have to do is just flip it over in your hand. However you do it, just do it carefully. We don’t recommend running the mold under warm water because that can ruin finer details on particular molds.

Once removed, use your spatula or a potato peeler to remove any seams on the sides of the mold if they bother you. Place the butter sculpture back in the fridge or freezer until you are ready to serve or transport.

Notes on transport: To minimize any damage during travel, place the plastic molds back onto the sides of the butter sculpture, and secure with a little masking tape. (After the initial release from the plastic mold, the butter wont stick to the mold again). Depending on how long your travels are, you may want transport in an insulated lunchbox or bag with a cold pack. Also if you are planning on taking the butter sculpture somewhere, it’s a good idea to let it freeze overnight so that it is as thoroughly chilled as possible.