Brown Butter Muffins

These Brown Butter Muffins are simple to make and pack a flavor punch thanks to the important step of browning the butter.

I don’t know why it took me so long to realize the wonder that is brown butter! This simple process elevates the flavor of your butter, and then of course your final recipe too.

It’s very easy to make brown butter. I was actually introduced to it by my 10-year-old nephew who makes the BEST brown butter chocolate chip cookies – who also helped me to make this brown butter muffin recipes, but first – – 

What is Brown Butter?

Brown butter is butter that has been cooked slowly over low heat. In the process, water in the butter is cooked out and its milk solids caramelize, which leads to a concentration of its flavor, a nutty sweetness and a caramel color – thus the name “brown butter”.

How to Brown Butter:

Cut butter into equal sized pieces and place in a medium sized saucepan or frying pan. Heat over medium heat, stirring occasionally to make sure it is heating evenly.

As the butter is melting, you will see it first begin to foam and then the color will change from yellow, to golden and finally to the caramel color brown.

It’s easy to go from nicely browned to burnt, so pay attention! At this point, you need to take it off the heat and transfer it to a heatproof bowl so that the browning process will stop and not become burnt. That’s it! 

Now that you know how to brown butter, it’s time to use it to make these fabulous muffins!

Brown Butter Muffins Recipe

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter
1 cup light brown sugar
1 cup milk
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

How to Make Brown Butter Muffins:

Preheat oven to 375ºF. Grease 16 muffin cups or fill with paper liners.

Melt the butter in a small sauce pan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer, stirring frequently.

Once you see dark brown particles on the bottom and the rest of the butter is light brown, remove from heat and pour into a small bowl.

Let butter cool for 20 minutes.

In a large bowl, add the butter to the brown sugar and mix together well. Add milk, egg and vanilla, stirring to combine.

Add flour, baking soda and salt and mix just until incorporated.

Fill each muffin cup about 2/3 full. .

Bake in the preheated oven 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Do you need to strain brown butter?

When you brown your butter, you will end up with some dark brown particles that float to the bottom. I like to leave these particles in as they pack some extra flavor. If you prefer not to have the “specks” you can strain in a very fine mesh strainer.

How else can you use brown butter?

There are so many different ways to use brown butter. Our favorite is in baking brown butter cookies, brown butter cake and these brown butter muffins, but it can be used on pasta, seafood, vegetables, pancakes and more. 

How to store brown butter:

Cool brown butter to room temperature and transfer to a glass storage container or jar. It can be stored at room temperature for 5 days or in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.  

How to freeze brown butter:

Place brown butter in an airtight container and keep frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw before using.

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