using a heavy skillet over medium/low heat toast the sesame seeds

you don't need oil just pour them in the pan and set over the heat

give the pan a shake every few minutes while you gather up the rest of the ingredients

once they begin to brown add the rest of the ingredients except the butter and salt

continue toasting over low heat until the mixture is fragrant and most of the sesame seeds are various shades of brown

once they get to this stage it's time to let them cool, honestly this is as hard as it gets, trying not to nibble the seeds mix while they cool

put the butter in a mixing bowl and give it an initial mix

once the seeds are cooled take a TBSP of the mix and set it aside

add the rest of the mix and the salt if using to the butter and gently use the mixer to incorporate them into the butter

once the seeds are mixed in and no pure yellow butter remains you're done mixing, you may need to stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl once or twice before this happens

when you're done scrape the butter out onto a piece of plastic wrap and form it into a rough stick of butter, or a disk shape

wrap it in plastic wrap or wax paper and chill for 20 minutes

then take it out, unwrap it, roll it in the extra seeds to cover the outside

rewrap in fresh wax paper or plastic wrap

chill for two days for best flavor although it is ready to use right away