Brown Butter Frosting

Published on April 6, 2026 at 9:53 AM

This brown butter frosting has its place in baking. God shows us here how fancy and hard work pays off, just like browning butter. Mary is beautiful inside and out, shall we be like that, for we will have a place in Heaven.

Nutty, flavorful brown butter is chef's kiss...mix it with cream cheese, and now you have the best brown butter frosting. Although the step on browning butter looks intimidating, I promise you it is very easy! Sometimes, one has to risk and trust in God...like working with yeast! Let's dive into this frosting and lick our spatula! 😉

What you'll love about this recipe:

-Flavor! Yeah, one word is enough to explain this amazing frosting. If you're still afraid of making this frosting, check out my Chocolate Frosting, just make sure you have chocolate chips! Anyway, you're going to love this flavor of nutty, delicious perfection!

-Cream cheese! Only brown butter would make the frosting too strong...add some cream cheese and you get the perfect balance of tanginess, and brown butter!

Pairs well! Pair it with Vanilla Cupcakes or Banana Cupcakes, this frosting has its way of shining!

What you will need for this recipe:

Unsalted butter- 1 stick is enough to make this frosting shine. (It may be my favorite frosting!)

Cream cheese- this is my secret ingredient! Without it, the frosting would be too rich! Make sure to grab the brick-style and not the ones in tubs or low-fat. They would simply not work.

Powdered sugar- aka. known as "confectioner's sugar" a classic ingredient of frostings.

Vanilla extract- (Never measure it like I did in the video! 😁)

Salt- A pinch of salt works perfectly fine and makes the frosting perfect! (I mean it.)

If you want step-by-step tutorial on how to brown butter, go to my YouTube channel where I show you how to!

How to Brown Butter:

  1. Melt your butter in a saucepan, ideally one with a light-colored bottom (that way you can tell once the milk solids begin to brown).
  2. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly. The butter will sizzle and pop and eventually small bits (the milk solids) will begin to turn brown. Remove your butter from the heat at this point and pour it into a heatproof container. 

How to make the Frosting:

  1. Let that browned butter cool completely! You want it to be at room temperature before you make your frosting, that way it combines smoothly with the other ingredients.
  2. Once butter has cooled, combine it with room temperature cream cheese and mix until smooth and creamy. Add vanilla extract and salt.
  3. With mixer on low speed, gradually add powdered sugar until all ingredients are well-combined and the brown butter frosting is smooth (minus those glorious bits of browned butter!).

I recommend using an electric stand mixer if you have one! Helps avoid the mess of powdered sugar flying everywhere!

I can assure you that this frosting is the BEST of all out there, because my brother who enjoys a cupcake without frosting LOVED this one! It has a deep, delicious flavor that no other frosting (in my experience) has given! I hope you risk making brown butter because those specks are the ones that make the frosting fabulous!

Frequently asked questions:

Why is my frosting lumpy?

If either the butter or cream cheese was too cold, it could be difficult to make a smooth frosting, even after beating with an electric mixer. While it’s important that the butter is at room temperture, it shouldn’t be cold when you go to make your frosting.

Why is my frosting runny?

If the cream cheese is too warm or the browned butter is even a bit warm, your frosting may be runny. This can also happen if you are in a hot kitchen.
Another culprit is if you use cream cheese from a tub or a low-fat variety rather than brick-style cream cheese.

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