Until you have tried burnt butter, either as a sweet or savoury dish, you cannot imagine how wonderful it tastes.
Simple kitchen alchemy transforms it into a creation heavenly enough to eat with a spoon – although don’t tell your cardiologist I said that.
Burning your butter is an easy peasy way to elevate baked goods into rich, decadent treats. These burnt butter brown sugar cupcakes are sophisticated enough to serve at an adult party – no sprinkles or food colouring here. Miss9 highly rated them, saying they were light and fluffy and less sweet than my usual vanilla cupcake recipe.
Serve these cupcakes au naturel, with a dusting of icing sugar, or a smothering of my all-purpose chocolate ganache – see below. This recipe was adapted from Nigella Lawson’s iconic ‘How To Be A Domestic Goddess.’
GATHER:
150 grams unsalted butter, diced
1 cup self-raising flour
just over ¼ cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons of milk
LET’S GET TO IT:
Preheat oven to 180C and line a 12-hole cupcake pan with wrappers (my batch only made 11).
In a small pan over low heat stir the butter frequently until it turns dark golden – this will take some time but don’t walk away or you will end up with a ruined pan and butter that will end u p in the bin. When it starts foaming like crazy is when you when to remove it from the heat.
Place all ingredients into a food processor and whiz until combined – it is quite a thick batter.
Spoon into the pans and bake for 16 minutes / until a skewer inserted comes out clean.
CHOCOLATE GANACHE:
In a small saucepan over low heat melt 125g dark chocolate [broken into chunks] with 1/2 cup pouring cream. Stir until melted, thick and glossy. Allow to stand 15 minutes until thick. Use knife to spread over cakes.
the hungry mum 
Burning the butter sounds like something even I could manage. Joking aside, though, they look delicious.
ha ha! Am sure burnt butter was created by a not-so-great cook but we can all thank that person for creating such a lush ingredient 🙂
I guess a lot of recipes must have started out as accidents. It’s hard to imagine setting out to make yoghurt, for example. 🙂
I love brown/burnt butter. These look delicious! 🙂
Isn’t it amazing? Such a small step in the cooking process creates such an amazing flavour.
Not to mention the amazing aroma it has… 🙂
Burnt butter adds such flavour and colour doesn’t it, these look delicious!
Yes! I didn’t even delve into the colour it imparts – good observation x
Burnt butter is one of those ingredients that can take baked goods from just nice to flat-out extraordinary. Now, if only I had more energy so I could bake these… 😦
You’re correct! Sorry to hear you’re not functioning at full capacity,, get better soon.
Browned butter is the best! I don’t think I’ve ever not liked a baked good with it! 😀 I want it as a perfume 😛
I would so buy that perfume!
Brown butter rocks!!
You know it, lady x
You know it! It is 100 per cent awesome.
Brown butter does add some great flavor to sweet and savory dishes. Chocolate ganache always makes anything taste better too!
I burn butter quite a bit! Now I know what I can do with it. LOL Seriously! These look great!
Marcey
hehehe! Burning butter – and burning most things, actually – is super dooper easy but now you have a reason to use it!
Lovely cupcakes! Have just started browning/burning my butter in a few recipes… it is a lovely flavour!
Thanks 🙂 Isn’t just so lush and moreish?!
Yes! 🙂
The cupcakes look delicious. May have to give these a try.
You will love them! Not overly sweet but with a lovely taste from the browned butter.
Simple and delicious I love this recipe! Definitely will be making these next time I entertain.
Thanks Mary 🙂 They are simple yet chic and delicious.
Fat and sugar. You’re enabling quite a dangerous lifestyle 🙂 I’ll have some of it!
I am a pusher of sugary goods! #enabler
Hahahahaaaaa 🙂
Gorgeous cupcakes and love the ganache frosting…. yummm
HA! I remember my apprentice chef days, the teacher telling us we were going to learn how to make burnt butter (beurre noisette) and thinking ‘wtf’…. Why on earth do we need to learn how to do that? And then I tasted it. Holy moly… now that is one heck of a delightful taste. Yarm! Cant say I have used done too much in the sweets department, but me thinks I should. 🙂
With brown butter within, I do believe that it would be impossible for this NOT to be delicious. Love it!
Burnt butter is putting butter on a whole new playing field. Love the nuttiness it adds to a recipe, sweet or savoury.
Amen, sister. I think I have a new addiction #addItToThePile
I am always curious of brown butter. These cupcakes look very good. 😀
Cheers. Brown butter is nectar of the gods – love it 🙂