Brown butter cupcakes with white chocolate frosting (and don’t forget the sprinkles!) will met the heart of even the most anti-Valentine’s Day person in your life.
I’ve never met anyone who actually likes Valentine’s Day. That is a true fact. Everyone I’ve met (out of elementary school) doesn’t like it. Even if you’re in a relationship, I think they’re just indifferent. It just gives you a reason to have to plan a fancy dinner and give a present. And if you aren’t in a relationship, it’s really kinda pointless. Like, yeah, you can celebrate all the people you love but Valentine’s day is specifically love love. Not family and friends love. Like, romantic love. So if you have no romantic love in your life, you can give a cheesy Valentine’s card to all your friends but you’re really not celebrating it.
If you think about it, assuming you have ten main people you love in your life: your mom and dad, siblings, a couple close friends, your pet, and then maybe a significant other. The significant other is only like 10% of the love you have for people. That means Valentine’s Day only celebrates 10% of the love in the world. Probably even less than that because lots of people don’t have significant others.
So Galentine’s Day is really the way to go. Because, you should celebrate 90% of the love more than that other 10%, right? It really just all makes sense. Just look at the numbers.
But Galentine’s Day is also a universally-loved holiday. You’d really have to be heartless (or have no friends) to not like the idea of Galentine’s Day. It’s a holiday that celebates the love you have for your friends, which, let’s be honest, just about everyone has. And you don’t even need to go crazy. Just tell ’em they’re your friends and you love ’em in a totally non-romantic way.
Maybe give them a cupcake, too. More specifically, these Brown Butter Cupcakes. Because they’re amazing. Anyone biting into one of these brown butter cupcakes will know that you truly love them. (In a totally platonic way.) Both brown butter and caramelized white chocolate are ways to bring your baked good to the next level, so when you do both, you are two levels up. Two whole levels. That’s high. Just like your standards for the loved ones who get these brown butter cupcakes. Because you won’t want to give them out to just anybody, no sir.
Bonus points if you decorate your brown butter cupcakes with sprinkles and heart cupcake liners, because those are the only good things about Valentine’s Day.
If someone were to ask you to be their Valentine, what baked good would they have to ask you with? For me, it would be these brownies.
-Audrey
Prep Time:
Yield:
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PinIngredients
For the brown butter cupcakes:
- 1 stick unsalted butter, browned and then hardened
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
For the white chocolate frosting:
- 1/4–1/2 cup caramelized white chocolate (watch this video for a tutorial)
- 2 sticks butter
- 2–2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
Make the cupcakes:
- In a stand mixer, fit with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. This may take 3 to 5 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl to make sure everything is well incorporated.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, beating for one minute after each addition. If the batter begins to looks a bit curdled, that’s alright.
- With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and the vanilla milk mixture in three batches, starting and ending with the flour. When the batter is almost combined, stop the mixer and finish mixing the batter with a spatula, making sure that any flour bits at the bottom of the bowl are well incorporated.
- Divide into the lined cupcake pan and bake for 25 minutes or until golden and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing to cool completely before frosting.
Make the frosting:
- In a medium bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed for 1 minute.
- Switch the mixer to low speed and slowly add the confectioners’ sugar until combined.
- Scoop 1/4 cup caramelized white chocolate in and switch the mixer to medium speed and beat for 2 minutes until combined and creamy.
- Check and add more powdered sugar and caramelized white chocolate until you have the desired taste and consistency. Then beat on high for 1-2 minutes until fluffy.
- Frost cupcakes and decorate as you please with sprinkles, candies, etc.