Brown Butter Cupcakes

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Brown butter adds a rich nutty flavor to baked goods and these Brown Butter Cupcakes are an easy way to enjoy this delicious flavor. These fluffy brown butter cupcakes are topped with a flavorful brown sugar frosting. You will love this easy and amazing recipe!

This easy recipe for browned butter cupcakes makes the perfect sharable treat for any season and any occasion. Made with brown butter, brown sugar and cinnamon, these cupcakes are incredibly delicious!

I wanted to make a recipe that didn’t feature pumpkin or apple but that had the cozy taste of fall. Brown butter, brown sugar and cinnamon are perfect warm fall flavors!

If you’re looking for more fall recipes, try my apple cider whoopie pies, my pumpkin banana muffins, and my apple cider coffee cake!

WHY YOU WILL LOVE THIS RECIPE

These cupcakes with cream cheese frosting are moist and flavorful!
The cupcake batter does not require a mixer and they bake up in twenty minutes or less!
This brown butter cupcake recipe gets its flavor from brown butter, brown sugar and cinnamon.
They’re fluffy and moist.
They are topped with the same luscious brown sugar cream cheese frosting as my pumpkin carrot cake cupcakes! It has the creamy, fresh taste of cream cheese icing and the brown sugar adds a delicious caramel flavor!

Brown butter cupcakes with icing piped on top next to a bowl of brown sugar.

INGREDIENTS

Below are useful notes about some of the ingredients for this brown butter cupcake recipe. Please see recipe card below for full list of ingredients and measurements.

Butter: Use unsalted butter. The butter will be melted then browned. Browning the butter only takes minutes but adds such a nice toasty, nutty flavor. It gives butter more depth of flavor.
Brown Sugar: Use light or dark brown sugar. I like dark brown sugar because it has a stronger molasses flavor that goes really well
Vanilla Extract: For flavor.
Sour Cream: Use full fat, room temperature sour cream.
Cinnamon: Cinnamon adds warm flavor. It tastes so good with brown butter!
Cream cheese: Use full fat cream, room temperature cream cheese for the frosting.

A cupcake cut in half with frosting next to a cinnamon stick.

STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS

Below are directions for making these browned butter cupcakes. Please see recipe card for full list of ingredients.

Step 1: Brown the butter. Add the butter to a skillet over medium heat. Stir occasionally. Once the butter starts to sputter and bubble, whisk it constantly for 4-5 minutes. The butter will start to foam and you’ll notice little bits (milk solids) at the bottom of the skillet. When the bits become light brown and the butter begins changing color, remove the skillet from heat. Pour the butter into a heat safe bowl and allow to cool.

Step 2: Combine the dry ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk to combine the whisk the sugar, flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt together. Set aside.

Step 3: Mix together the wet ingredients. In a medium bowl, mix together the egg, cooled brown butter, oil, vanilla, sour cream and milk.

Step 4: Mix the wet ingredients into the dry. Stir in half of the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Mix in the other half of the wet ingredients. Stir until just combined

Step 5: Bake the cupcakes. Line a cupcake pan with cupcake liners. Fill each cupcake liner with 1/4 cup of batter. Bake at 350 for 16-18 minutes. Cool completely before frosting.

Step 6: Make the frosting. In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the cream cheese and butter on medium speed for one minute. Add the brown sugar and mix on medium for another minute. Mix in the vanilla then turn the mixer on low and gradually mix in the powdered sugar.

Step 7: Frost the cupcakes. Pipe or spread frosting onto the completely cooled cupcakes. Sprinkle with brown sugar, if desired.

PLain brown butter cupcakes cooling on a rack.

A pretty batch of cupcakes with brown sugar and a cinnamon stick nearby.

EXPERT TIPS

Tip #1: Use a light colored skillet to brown the butter so that you can best see the color of the butter as it cooks.

Tip #2: Use room temperature ingredients for the frosting. Use room temperature cream cheese and butter for the frosting.

Tip #3: Watch a video before browning the butter. If you’ve never made brown butter before, I recommend watching this How to Make Brown Butter video from Simply Recipes.

Tip #4: Use fresh brown sugar: Brown sugar can get hard lumps if it’s not fresh which will make the sugar harder to dissolve into the frosting.

A frosted cupcake with a bite taken out of it.

RECIPE FAQs

How do I frost these cupcakes?

For a tall swirl use the Wilton 1M piping tip. For the simpler look, I like the Ateco 808. You can also use and ice cream scoop, a knife or an offset spatula to frost them.

How do I decorate these cupcakes?

I used light brown sugar in my icing and sprinkled dark brown sugar on top. It’s best to do this right after frosting and before it sets so it sticks. The little sprinkle of sugar just adds a little sparkle and hints at the flavor of both the icing and the cupcakes!

SERVING AND STORING THESE CUPCAKES

These Brown Butter Cupcakes s are best served at room temperature.

To store the cupcakes, keep them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days.

A brown cupcake with white icing cut in half with brown sugar nearby.

A cupcake with cream colored icing piped in a swirl on top.

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