Brown Sugar Cupcakes with Browned Butter Frosting

My quest to make a different cupcake for work each week is providing me the opportunity to try frosting variations for the first time. This week's cupcake from Betty Crocker The Big Book of Cupcakes took me into the realm of browned butter frosting, which was rich and delicious. It's amazing to me how much you can alter the flavor of your frosting by using browned butter. The cupcake itself didn't knock my socks off, but it paired nicely with the frosting.

Brown Sugar Cupcakes with Browned Butter Frosting
Cupcakes
2 1/3 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
3 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
2/3 cup milk
Frosting
1/2 cup butter
4 1/2 cups powdered sugar
6 to 8 Tbsp. milk


Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line pans with 24 cupcake liners. In medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

In a large bowl, beat butter 30 seconds on medium speed. Gradually add sugars, about 1/4 cup at a time, beating until well blended. Beat an additional 2 minutes after all sugar is added. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Beat in vanilla.

Alternately beat in flour mixture and milk on low, starting and ending with the flour mixture.

Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full, and bake 18 to 24 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 5 minutes in the pans and then completely on wire racks.

To make frosting, melt butter of medium heat, stirring constantly, until butter is golden brown. Remove from heat, and cool completely. Beat together butter, sugar and 4 Tbsp. milk until blended. Beat in additional milk, 1 tsp. at a time, until frosting is desired consistency.

Frost cupcakes. Makes 24 cupcakes.