Brown Butter Cupcakes with Brown Butter Buttercream
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Makes 12 cupcakes.
Ingredients
For the browned butter:
  • 285g (or 1¼ cup) unsalted butter
For the cupcakes:
  • 140g (or ½ cup + 2 tablespoons) browned butter
  • 170g (or ¾ cup + 5 teaspoons) granulated sugar
  • 3 large eggs, at room temperature
  • 170g (or 1⅓ cups + 2 teaspoons) all-purpose flour
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1½ teaspoon baking powder
  • 65ml (or ¼ cup + 1 teaspoon) milk
  • ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
For the buttercream:
  • 65g (or ½ cup + 1 teaspoon) all-purpose flour
  • 200g (or 1 cup) granulated sugar
  • 240ml (or 1 cup) milk
  • pinch of salt
  • 95g (or ⅓ cup + 4 teaspoons) browned butter
  • drop of vanilla extract
Instructions
Start by browning the butter:
  1. Plop the butter in a heavy-bottomed and preferably light colored saucepan. The heavy bottom ensures the butter heats evenly, while the light color enables you to monitor the color of the butter as it browns. Heat the butter gently over low heat, stirring occasionally, until melted.
  2. Once the butter has melted completely, allow it to come to a rolling boil. As it boils, the butter will bubble and splatter dramatically, so you may want to place a splatter screen over the pan. Give the bubbling butter a good stir with a rubber spatula every now and then, scraping the sides and bottom of the pan.
  3. After 5-7 minutes, the bigger bubbles will disappear and the butter starts to foam. This is when it the milk solids in the butter will caramelize, so keep a close eye on the butter! You can tell the butter is browning because it will start to smell butty and toasty. Because of the foam, it may be difficult to determine whether the butter has browned enough to your liking, even if you are using a light colored pan. To check it, try clearing away some of the foam with a spoon or take the pan off the heat and use a soup ladle to pour a little of the butter in a clear glass. The milk solids in the butter (little dark specks) should have turned a dark golden brown.
  4. Once you’re happy with the caramelization, pour the butter in a heatproof bowl, scraping the milk solids into the bowl with the butter, and give it a good stir to cool the butter slightly and stop the caramelization process. If you were to leave the butter in the pan, the residual heat from the pan would continue to cook the butter, causing it to burn.
  5. Allow the butter to cool to room temperature, stirring it every now and then with a rubber spatula, then place it in the fridge until cold. Once cold, resoften the butter needed to make the cupcakes at room temperature for 30-45 minutes.
Make the cupcakes:
  1. Preheat the oven to 175°C/350°F (standard oven setting) and line a 12-cup muffin pan with liners.
  2. In a large bowl, beat the brown butter with an electric mixer until creamy and lightened in color. Add the sugar and continue to beat for 2-3 minutes, until the mixture looks fluffy. Make sure to scrape the bowl with a rubber spatula every now and then.
  3. Once the mixture is fluffy, add the eggs one at a time, mixing well (about 2 minutes) after each addition. Again, scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl every now and then.
  4. Once all the eggs have been added to the batter, combine flour, salt and baking powder in a bowl and stir to combine. Combine the milk and vanilla in another bowl.
  5. Add half the flour mixture to the batter and fold with a rubber spatula until somewhat incorporated. Mix with the mixer until the batter looks smooth.
  6. Add the milk mixture and mix with the mixer until combined and mixture looks smooth. Add the remaining flour mixture and mix well, 1-2 minutes, until the mixture looks smooth. Make sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula every now and then as you mix.
  7. Divide the batter evenly over the 12 cupcake tins. Bake for 18-22 minutes, or until a tester inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Allow cupcakes to cool to room temperature on a wire rack.
Meanwhile, prepare the buttercream:
  1. Whisk together flour and sugar in a medium saucepan. Whisk in milk. Place saucepan over low heat and bring to a boil, whisking continuously, then cook on low heat for 2 minutes, whisking continuously.
  2. Remove from heat and pour the pudding onto a clean heatproof plate or shallow container. Immediately cover it with plastic wrap, pressing the plastic wrap directly against the pudding's surface to keep a skin from forming.
  3. Using a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the butter until smooth and lightened in color, about 2 minutes. Add the cooled pudding one tablespoon at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add vanilla and beat until buttercream looks thick, smooth, and creamy, about 3 minutes.
  4. Frost cooled cupcakes as desired. I used a piping bag and a large, closed star tip.
  5. Cupcakes can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Allow to come to room temperature before serving (this takes 1-2 hours).
Recipe by The Tough Cookie at https://thetoughcookie.com/2015/01/19/brown-butter-cupcakes-brown-butter-buttercream/