Brown Butter Peach Cupcakes {Brown Butter Week}

Brown butter week continues with these amazing brown butter peach cupcakes. But before we talk about cupcakes, let me share with you my favorite thing about brown butter. My favorite thing isn't the fact that it takes just 5 minutes or less to brown butter, but the aroma from the browned milk solids. It makes your house smell heavenly and that aroma is transferred to whatever recipe you are using it in. I wonder if Bath & Body Works makes this scent? If not they need to get on it because brown butter just beat their kitchen spice candle on my favorite list. 

On to the cupcakes please! I got these peaches from my trip to the farmers market and intended to use them in a peach cobbler. I even bought these cute little ramekins for the cobblers but I changed my mind when I thought of making brown butter cupcakes. So I made a brown butter peach cupcake and topped it with whipped brown butter buttercream. 

These fluffy cupcakes have a great nutty flavor from the brown butter that complements perfectly the ripe white peaches. You see the speckles in the frosting? That's the brown bits from browning the butter. When you brown your butter, you can choose to include the brown bits from the bottom of the pan in your recipe, which I did and totally encourage because you get a deeper flavor profile. 

Since I know Mr. J isn't a fan of peaches, I took all but two cupcakes to my local soup kitchen (I usually leave 6 for us if it is something he would enjoy). But by the time I came back home that Sunday, those cupcakes were ghosts and never to be found. I'm glad I had my taste earlier. Now he agrees he will eat peaches when paired with brown butter. (Trend alert: He hated broccoli before my existence and one day I paired it with parmesean cheese and he loved it. Now he eats it even without the cheese. I'm learning here)

I have more brown butter goodness this week so please come back! In the meantime, my bloggy friend Molly of Bakelette is celebrating her first blogiversary this week. Stop by and wish her and her lovely blog a happy birthday!

Brown Butter Peach Cupcakes

Yield: About 24 cupcakes

Ingredients:

¾ cup butter (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, browned and cooled

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

1 ¼ cups granulated sugar

3 large eggs, room temperature

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

¾ cup buttermilk, room temperature

½  cup fresh peaches, peeled and finely diced

Directions:

1.     To brown butter: Melt butter over medium heat in a saucepan. Start whisking butter once it begins to foam. Whisk constantly for a few minutes until the butter turns brown, fragrant and little brown bits form at the bottom of the pan. Remove immediately from heat and cool.

2.     Preheat oven to 350^oC. Line muffin pans with cupcake wrappers. Whisk together flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl.

3.     In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar on medium speed until well combined about 3-5 minutes.  

4.     Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down side of bowl as necessary. Mix in vanilla extract.

5.     With mixer on low speed, add flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with 2 batches of buttermilk and beginning and ending with flour. Beat until just combined.

6.     Fold in peaches by hand with a rubber spatula until combined.

7.     Divide batter among cupcake liners, filling 2/3 to the top.

8.     Bake until golden brown and a cake tester comes out clean. About 20-25 minutes 

9.     Transfer pans to wire racks and let cool in pans for 2 minutes. Remove cupcakes from pans and cool completely on wire racks.

Whipped Brown Butter Frosting

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, browned and cooled to room temperature

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened at room temperature

3 cups sifted powdered confectioners’ sugar

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

2 tablespoons milk

A pinch of salt

1.     To brown butter: Melt butter over medium heat in a saucepan. Start whisking butter once it begins to foam. Whisk constantly for a few minutes until the butter turns brown, fragrant and little brown bits form at the bottom of the pan. Remove immediately from heat and cool completely to room temperature.

2.     Whip softened butter for 4 minutes on medium speed using the paddle attachment of an electric mixer. The butter will become pale and creamy.

3.     Add the rest of the ingredients (including the brown butter) and mix on low speed for 1 minute. Then increase speed to medium and mix for 6 minutes until the frosting is very light, creamy and fluffy.

4.     Best used right away

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