How to Make Brown Butter
Shhhhh, you’ve reached a secret post. Don’t tell anyone what you’re about to learn. Just use our brown butter tips as you bake your favorite desserts and you’ll have people trying to find out what that delicious flavor is. All jokes aside though, brown butter is a GAME CHANGER. Not only is it a beautiful, golden color, but with only one simple ingredient, brown butter will totally elevate any dessert.
What is brown butter?
Brown butter is butter that has been cooked past its melting point. This allows the milk solids in the butter to toast and become a deep golden brown liquid. It is used in cookies, cakes, frostings, and bars to add a caramelized and nutty flavor to any dessert.
How to make brown butter
01. Melt
In a saucepan on medium-low heat, melt the butter while constantly swirling the pan.
02. Sizzle
Once melted, the butter will begin to bubble. During this process the the milk solids are separated from the fats. Make sure to continue swirling and do not leave the butter unattended as it can quickly burn. This process takes about 5 minutes.
03. Foam
When the butter begins to foam, this means that the milk solids have separated from the fats. This is when the brown bits start to toast on the bottom of the pan and the butter turns a golden brown color. Give the pan a little swirl and then remove it from the heat. The brown bits will go from toasted to burnt within seconds so be careful not to keep it on the heat for too long. Transfer to a heatproof bowl and allow to cool before using.
Watch how we made it:
Do’s & Dont’s
Do: Use high-quality butter because it has more fat, which means more FLAVOR!
Do: Use a light-colored pan so you can the see the butter change color as it cooks.
Do: Keep a close eye on the butter as it goes from melted butter to brown butter quickly.
Don’t: Leave the pan unattended so you don’t end up with burnt bits in the butter.
Don’t: Leave the butter in the pan once it is finished cooking because the residual heat will continue cooking the butter causing it to burn and have a bitter flavor.
Ready to Bake?Here’s Our Favorite brown butter Recipes:
- Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
- White Chocolate Snickerdoodle Pumpkin Blondies
- Cinnamon Swirl Banana Muffins
Did you find this helpful?We’d love to see! Tag @caramelclove on Instagram!
Brown Butter
Ingredients
- Unsalted Butter
Instructions
- In a saucepan on medium-low heat, melt the butter while constantly swirling the pan.
- Once melted, the butter will begin to bubble. Make sure to continue swirling and do not leave the butter unattended as it can quickly burn. This process takes about 5 minutes.
- When the butter begins to foam, it will turn a golden brown color. Give the pan a swirl and then remove it from the heat. The brown bits will go from toasted to burnt within seconds so be careful not to keep it on the heat for too long.
- Transfer to a heatproof bowl and allow to cool before using.
Notes
- If a recipe calls for chilled brown butter, refrigerate the butter until it is solid.
- How to store: Chill the butter in the fridge until it is solid, then store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks in the fridge or up to 3 months in the freezer.
