Brown Butter Cupcakes
Equipment
- 1 Medium saucepan
- 2 Mixing bowls
- 1 Whisk
- 1 Rubber spatula
- 1 hand mixer or stand mixer
- 1 12-cup muffin tin
- 12 paper cupcake liners
- 1 Cooling rack
- 1 Measuring cups set
- 1 Measuring spoons set
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter 230 g; divided
- 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 190 g; spooned and leveled
- 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
- 1 cup granulated sugar 200 g
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 1/3 cup whole milk 80 ml; room temperature
- 1/3 cup sour cream 80 ml; room temperature
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup powdered sugar 120 g; sifted
- 1 1–2 tablespoons heavy cream as needed for frosting
- 1 pinch fine salt for frosting
Instructions
- Line the muffin tin with paper cupcake liners and preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Add 3/4 cup (170 g) of the butter to the saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring, until it foams, turns golden brown, and smells nutty, then immediately pour into a bowl to cool 10–15 minutes.
- In a mixing bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt, then set aside.
- In a separate bowl whisk the granulated sugar and slightly cooled brown butter until well combined.
- Whisk in the eggs one at a time into the butter mixture, then mix in the vanilla extract.
- Stir the milk and sour cream together until smooth, then whisk into the wet mixture.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and gently whisk or fold with a spatula just until no dry streaks remain.
- Divide the batter evenly among the 12 liners, filling each about two-thirds full.
- Bake the cupcakes for 16–18 minutes, or until the tops spring back lightly and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Transfer the pan to a cooling rack for 5 minutes, then remove the cupcakes to the rack and cool completely.
- To make the frosting, add the remaining 1/4 cup (60 g) butter to the saucepan and cook over medium heat until lightly browned, then cool 10–15 minutes to just warm.
- Beat the browned butter with the powdered sugar, pinch of salt, vanilla extract, and 1 tablespoon heavy cream until smooth and fluffy, adding more cream as needed for a spreadable consistency.
- Once the cupcakes are completely cool, frost the tops with a knife or piping bag.
Notes
For best flavor, let the browned butter cool until just slightly warm before mixing so it doesn’t melt the sugar or scramble the eggs, and scrape up all the browned milk solids from the pan since they hold most of the nutty taste. Watch the butter closely as it browns because it can go from perfect to burnt quickly, and use room-temperature dairy so the batter emulsifies smoothly for a tender crumb. Avoid overmixing once you add the dry ingredients to prevent dense cupcakes, and if your frosting seems too loose, chill it briefly then rewhip. These cupcakes develop even more caramelized flavor after resting a few hours, and they pair especially well with a pinch of flaky salt on top or a filling of caramel or fruit jam in the center.
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