These Brown Butter Cupcakes are super soft cupcakes flavored with brown butter! Brown butter adds a rich, nutty flavor and the cupcakes are topped with flavorful brown sugar cream cheese frosting. If you love brown butter, you’ll love this recipe!
This easy recipe for browned butter cupcakes makes the perfect sharable treat for any 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!
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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!
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.
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.
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.
RECIPE FAQs
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.
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!
STORAGE
Refrigerator: Store cupcakes in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
MORE BROWN BUTTER RECIPES YOU WILL LOVE
Brown Butter Cupcakes
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 12 cupcakes
- Category: Cupcakes
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
These Brown Butter Cupcakes are super soft and delicious. They’re made with an easy recipe and are topped with a delicious brown sugar cream cheese frosting.
Ingredients
CUPCAKES
- 1/2 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
- 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon sour cream, room temperature
- 1/2 cup whole milk, room temperature
- 1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 /2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
BROWN SUGAR CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
- 4 1/2 ounces cream cheese, room temperature (leave it at room temperature for at least an hour before making)
- 3 tablespoons butter, room temperature
- 1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons brown sugar, light or dark
- 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted, plus more if needed
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
BROWN BUTTER
- Melt the butter in a skillet over medium 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 large bowl, whisk the sugar, flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt together and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, mix together the egg, cooled brown butter, oil, vanilla, sour cream and milk.
- Stir in half of the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Mix in the other half of the wet ingredients, stirring 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.
Notes
Storage: Store cupcakes in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Keywords: ,Brown Sugar, Cupcakes, Brown Sugar, Cream Cheese, Icing, fall, cinnamon, brown sugar cupcakes
Brown is my favorite color. Now it will be my favorite Yummy Flavor!
★★★★★
Hard to beat the flavors of brown butter and brown sugar! These cupcakes must be meant for you!
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.
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
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
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
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!
★★★★★
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