Butter makes it better. Brown butter makes it best. It’s science.
When I made these cupcakes it was in the middle of a massive sugar craving and, well, I think I made too many. We’ve been eating cupcakes for breakfast lunch and dinner all week.
OK that might be an exaggeration…but even if it weren’t I wouldn’t be complaining. Everyone knows you can only have cupcakes for breakfast when you’re a grown-up!
Anyway, last night while obsessively watching New Girl and laughing about the turkey in the dryer I licked the final frosting bits off the bottom of my plate. No more cupcakes.
But besides the brown butter, which I could wax poetic about for hours on end, it’s all about the lemony frosting for me. Lemon desserts are kind of my thang if you will. Some people crave chocolate, others love peanut butter, and some just like vanilla. Me? Toss some tangy lemon in there and I’m all in. I could eat lemon desserts all the livelong day (clearly, as stated above) and not ever regret it. The tangy-tart-sweetness just gets to me and once I pop I can’t stop!
BROWN BUTTER VANILLA CUPCAKES WITH LEMON FROSTING
- 8 Tbsp (one stick) room temperature butter
- 2/3 cup brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1/3 cup milk
- 2 Tbsp vanilla
- 1 cup flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 4 Tbsp room temperature butter
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- juice from one lemon (you can use the zest as well, I just wanted the frosting to be super creamy and tart)
Preheat oven to 350. In a small skillet over medium low heat brown the butter by adding it to the pan and let it bubble, stirring constantly. As you start to see some brown in the color take note; it won’t take long to finish from there. Pour immediately into a cold bowl to stop cooking. Cream together the browned butter, brown sugar, eggs, milk and vanilla. Add the flour, baking powder and salt and stir until just combined. Line a greased muffin pan with liners and fill each cup about 2/3 full. Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let cool completely before frosting.
For the frosting beat together the 4 Tbsp of softened butter with the 1 cup of powdered sugar. Add half of the lemon juice. If the icing is spreadable, stop there; if it needs more liquid add just a touch of the lemon juice. Spread on the cooled cupcakes and enjoy!
You know what I just realized? That now we have no cupcakes for breakfast. And that maybe life wasn’t so bad when I could have one before work. Sigh.
They look great – brown butter does make just everything taste better!
Mmmm lovely! And love the simple, lemony frosting. Just perfect! May be about time for cupcakes around here!
Love the way you decorated them. They look so sunny and delicious!
These look delicious and LEMON frosting YUM 🙂
I’m all over the brown butter in these. All over.
Brown butter is seriously one of the best things ever. What an awesome idea to bake with it!
Vanilla and lemon! Great combo. (even better for breakfast! 🙂 )
New Girl was hilarious last night! Putting the frozen turkey in the dryer to thaw it…priceless! Wow…browned butter is all the rage right now. I have got to jump on that bandwagon…these cupcakes are reason alone!
omg, could these be any prettier? And could they make me drool at work any more?!
I was laughing so hard at New Girl I was crying.
It was the offering to get naked and huddle with the turkey that cracked me up.
I love lemony desserts! And I LOVE New Girl. That show is my jam.
These look so freaking delicious! I would love to stuff my face with one right now.
LOL – i know the feeling of the cravings – i wanted cinnamon and sugar last night – so i ended up doing some small doughnuts. . .crazy! But i could lick the bowl here . . .
You seriously could add brown butter to ANYTHING and I would eat it.
Everyone thinks I’m so weird for loving lemon desserts as much as I do. I ALWAYS pass up a chocolate dessert if there’s lemon or any citrus dessert involved. Glad someone else gets it!
These look so yummy! I can’t imagine anything more delicious than brown butter 🙂
These look so delicious! I’m with you – I love lemony desserts. These would be right up my alley 🙂
This lemon frosting sounds legit. And the cupcakes too. These would totally work for me!
Love lemon desserts! They are always so refreshing!
Wow, that frosting!!! I want to get my tongue into that first picture 😉
Mmmm – that lemon frosting sounds wonderful! Magic happens when sweet and tart come together. 🙂
I was just about to say: Is it ok to want these cupcakes at 8 freakin 30?!?