These Brown Butter Cupcakes are soft cupcakes flavored with rich, nutty brown butter. The cupcake batter comes together without a mixer and they are topped with brown sugar cream cheese frosting!
This easy recipe for browned butter cupcakes makes the perfect sharable treat. Brown butter is an easy extra step that adds an amazing rich depth of flavor! Brown sugar cream cheese frosting adds even more incredible flavor.
These cupcakes are full of cozy, warm flavors. They are the perfect fall treat!
If you’re looking for more fall recipes, try my apple cider whoopie pies, pumpkin banana muffins, and apple cider coffee cake!
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Why You Will Love This Recipe
- These cupcakes with cream cheese frosting are moist, fluffy and flavorful!
- The cupcake batter does not require a mixer. They bake up in just 20 minutes!
- This brown butter cupcake recipe gets its flavor from brown butter, brown sugar and cinnamon.
- They are topped with the same brown sugar cream cheese frosting as my pumpkin carrot cake cupcakes! It has the fresh, creamy taste of cream cheese icing and the brown sugar adds a delicious caramel flavor!
Ingredients
Ingredients
Below are useful notes about some of the ingredients for this brown butter cupcake recipe.
- 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 prefer dark brown sugar because it has a stronger molasses flavor. Make sure your brown sugar is fresh so that it doesn’t have hard lumps.
- 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, block style, room temperature cream cheese for the frosting.
Please see recipe card below for full list of ingredients and measurements.
Instructions
Below are directions for making these browned butter cupcakes.
Step 1: (Photo 1 above) Add the butter to a skillet over medium low heat. Stir occasionally. Once the butter starts to sputter, whisk for about 4 minutes. The butter will start to foam. Next, you’ll notice little bits at the bottom of the skillet. When the bits become light brown and the butter begins changing color, remove the skillet from heat. Pour into a heat safe bowl and allow to cool.
Step 2: (Photo 2 above) In a medium bowl, mix together the egg, cooled brown butter, oil, vanilla, sour cream and milk.
Step 3: (Photo 3 above) Stir half the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Mix in the other half of the dry ingredients. Stir until just combined
Step 4: (Photo 4 above) 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 5: (Photo 5 above) Mix the cream cheese and butter with an electric mixer for one minute. Add the brown sugar and mix for another minute. Mix in the vanilla then turn the mixer on low and gradually add the powdered sugar.
Step 6: (Photo 6 above) Frost the cooled cupcakes. Sprinkle with brown sugar, if desired.
Expert Tips
Tip #1: Use a light colored skillet to brown the butter. The lighter color makes it easier to see the color of the butter as it cooks.
Tip #2: Use room temperature cream cheese and butter for the frosting.
Tip #3: If you’ve never made brown butter before, I recommend watching this How to Make Brown Butter video.
Tip #4: Make sure to use fresh brown sugar. Brown sugar can get hard lumps if it’s not fresh. These lumps are harder to dissolve into the frosting.
Recipe FAQs
I used my Wilton 1M piping tip to pipe the frosting. For the simpler look, I like the Ateco 808. For a simpler option, you can use an ice cream scoop or a cookie scoop, a knife or an offset spatula to frost them.
Brown butter is butter that’s melted and cooked until golden. The milk solids separate while it cooks and develop a warm, nutty flavor.
Store cupcakes in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Freeze unfrosted cupcakes in the freezer for up to 3 months.
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Brown Butter Cupcakes
Ingredients
Brown Butter Cupcakes
- ½ cup unsalted butter browned and cooled at room temperature
- 1 tablespoon oil canola or vegetable
- 1 cup brown sugar light or dark, lightly packed
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 large egg room temperature
- ⅓ cup sour cream full fat, room temperature
- ½ cup whole milk room temperature
- 1⅓ cups all purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting
- 4 ½ ounces cream cheese full fat, room temperature (leave it at room temperature for at least an hour before making)
- 3 tablespoons butter room temperature
- ¼ cup plus 3 tablespoons brown sugar light or dark
- 2 cups powdered sugar sifted, plus more if needed
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Brown Butter
- Melt the butter in a skillet over medium-low heat. Stir occasionally at first. Once begins to bubble and comes to a boil, stir it constantly. It will start to foam. Continue stirring as you watch for it to turn a light, amber color and develop a nutty smell which should happen in about five minutes. Pour the brown butter into a heat safe bowl, making sure the scrape the bottom of the pan for all the bits. Set the butter aside and use when cool to the touch. In the meantime, continue with the recipe.
Brown Butter Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line cupcake tin with liners.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk the brown sugar, flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt together and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the egg, cooled brown butter, oil, vanilla, sour cream and milk.
- Use a spatula to stir in half of the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Mix in the other half of the dry ingredients. Stir until just combined
- Fill each cupcake liner with 1/4 cup of batter. Bake 16-18 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the center of a cupcake. Allow cupcakes to cool completely before frosting.
Brown Sugar Cream Cheese 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 until creamed and combined.
- 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. Pipe or spread frosting onto cupcakes and sprinkle with brown sugar, if desired.
Rachel
love the recipe. would it work for a cake?
Natalie
Hi Rachel, So happy you love the recipe! I haven’t tried it as a cake yet, but it should work. Please let me know if you try it as a cake! I want to try it now too 🙂
Daniella
These cupcakes were so delicious! So moist and soft and flavourful. The brown butter was such a game changer. Loved the brown sugar cream cheese icing. These are the perfect fall cupcake recipe. Will definitely be making again. I think this is my new favourite cupcake recipe. Brown butter for the win!
Natalie
Hi Daniella, Ahh yay! Thank you so much for making these cupcakes and for your comment. I’m so happy you love the cupcakes and frosting as much as I do 🙂 yay for brown butter for sure! Have a great weekend. -Natalie
Kelly
The first time I made these they were delicious! The second time I made them they were not good, and it’s because the recipe calculator above the recipe that allows you to 2x or 3x the recipe messes up the amount of sugar! It says 1.5 cups for the 3x recipe when the 1x originally says 1 cup
Might want to fix it! For now I’ll just make sure I mentally 3x the recipe
Natalie
Hi Kelly! I’m so sorry to hear about that recipe calculator messing up the amounts. I just sent a tech support email to hopefully get that fixed ASAP. I’m glad you enjoyed the recipe though and thanks so much for bringing this to my attention. Have a great day 🙂 Natalie
Manal
This recipe was easy to follow. The cupcakes are delectable especially the frosting is by far one of the best cream cheese frosting I have come across.
Natalie
Hi Manal! Thank you so much for making these cupcakes! I’m so happy you enjoyed them and appreciate your taking the time to write a comment! 🙂 xx Natalie
KG
I’d like to make this as a cake. Can you provide instructions?
Barbara Briggs Ward
Brown is my favorite color. Now it will be my favorite Yummy Flavor!
Natalie
Hard to beat the flavors of brown butter and brown sugar! These cupcakes must be meant for you!