Brown Butter & Everything Ever.

It's no secret that I am absolutely in love with/cannot stop talking about/am totally obsessed with brown butter. What's so special about those golden specks of butter and why bother taking the time to "brown" it? 

I'll totally make you a list... because I'm in Lake Tahoe! And you just can't bake anything when you're staring at snow-covered mountains, cabins in the woods, and fruity rum drinks all day. 

❤  It adds a rich, nutty hazelnut flavor (and beautiful golden specks) to your baking that'll make you instantly fall in love. I mean, in French, brown butter is known as beurre noisette... it literally means "hazelnut butter"! 

❤  It's that extra something special that turns those cookies or cinnamon rolls into the best thing you've ever baked.  

❤  It complements and adds depth of flavor... which is a fancy way of saying it pairs perfectly with all those flavors you love: cinnamon, oatmeal, brown sugar, caramel, chocolate, pumpkin, bananas. In my experience, brown butter is some kind of baking magic that makes those flavors pop. 

❤  It's versatile. Put it everything ever! Cupcakes, cookies, frostings, cakes. Can we put it in banana bread? Yes. Drizzle it on our popcorn? Do it. Our coffee creamer? It's already a thing. 

❤  The best part: it's easy. It's one extra step... that only takes about eight minutes.

I browned butter for the first time last summer... and since then I've posted fourteen recipes full of those golden specks. Brown butter for days!

I'm ready to jump into some new and exciting things this summer (summer just seems like a good time for that!)... but in the meantime, here's every brown butter recipe ever. 

How to Brown Butter // ... this just seems like a good place to start. A how-to situation just for you. P.S. it's easier than you think.

Brown Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookies // my favorite go-to chocolate chip cookie... and the perfect base for M&M cookies.  

Pumpkin Buttermilk Bundt Cake with Brown Butter Icing // Three things: this is my first (and favorite) bundt cake I ever made, it's never too early for pumpkin cake, & brown butter icing is unlike any icing ever. It also belongs in your life.

Brown butter toffee & macadamia nut chocolate chip cookies // These cookies were inspired by dreams of Hawaii and eating nothing but chocolate-and-toffee-covered macadamia nuts. Cookies inspired by real life living? It doesn't get any better than that!

Brown butter snickerdoodles // For a girl who hasn't fallen head-over-heels in love with snickerdoodles yet, let me just tell you: these are the best cookies I have ever made. They taste like hazelnuts and cinnamon rolls and rich, sugary snickerdoodles, all with crispy edges and buttery soft centers. It's true love.

Brown butter berry cheesecake muffins // Cakey brown butter vanilla muffins + fresh raspberries and blueberries + a scoop of cheesecake + brown sugar-cinnamon streusel = all things that belong in your life. 

Brown butter white chocolate chunk oatmeal cookies // The most irresistable oatmeal cookies I have ever tasted. Sprinkled with sugar and sea salt, bursting with that dark brown sugar and brown butter flavor, and studded with huge chunks of rich white chocolate... no chocolate chips or raisins here! 

Brown butter oatmeal M&M cookies // It's summertime. Let's bake colorful cookies with ice cream scoops.

Brown butter-peanut butter truffle chocolate chip cookies // These were one of the first brown butter cookies I ever made... and to be honest, brown butter doesn't really add anything extra or rich to the flavor of peanut butter. It's a nutty flavor on nutty butter situation. But the swirls of peanut butter truffle in these cookies? I can't even deal/I would put it in everything if I could.

Pretzel-crusted brown butter bourbon blondies // Boozy blondies full of chocolate, white chocolate, bourbon, and brown butter... all baked onto a sugary pretzel crust. Just look at that cookie math!

Brown butter, brown sugar chocolate chip shortcakes // Fat cakey shortcakes studded with mini chocolate chips, sprinkled with brown sugar, and baked with brown butter. Strawberries + whipped cream totally optional.

Buttermilk banana bundt cake with brown butter icing // The best thing about bundt cakes? You can totally pass them off as a breakfast thing. The best about this bundt cake? The brown butter icing. It pairs perfectly with the soft buttermilk banana cake. You have to try it.

Brown butter oatmeal s'mores cookie cups with graham cracker frosting // The only thing better than brown butter and oatmeal is brown butter and oatmeal with s'mores sprinkled on top.  

Brown butter bourbon chocolate chip cookies // Three things I love about these chocolate chip cookies: the brown butter, the bourbon, and the giants discs of baking chocolate. This is one unforgettable chocolate chip cookie.

Brown Butter White Chocolate Chunk Oatmeal Cookies.

Two things. 

1. It's time to fall in love {again} with oatmeal cookies. 

2. This is my last post involving brown butter. I have a new love... and it's coming soon.

Something about summer makes me crave oatmeal cookies. I know it's still spring, but I've already baked with marshmallow Peeps and pastel-colored chocolates so I feel like it's time we just jump right into this summer thing. I'm looking ahead to hours of True Blood, hot days in flow, short dresses, grilled pizzas, baked sugar cookie peaches, and just about as many kettlecorn dinners/strawberry margaritas as I can get away with. Starting... now. 

And oatmeal cookies. Because I may have finally found the perfect one.

These are the best oatmeal cookies I have ever made because they're so unlike traditional oatmeal cookies. No flat cookies, chocolate chips, or raisins here. Just crispy edges, thick, chewy centers, that rich brown butter flavor, extra-large chunks of sweet, melty white chocolate, and a sprinkle of sugary salt.

For these cookies I shattered two Ghiradelli white chocolate baking bars into perfect, fat cookie-baking chunks. Real chunks of white chocolate are just infinitely better than vanilla-flavored chips... and so is breaking chocolate against your countertop on a particularly stressful day. 

Puppies help too.

I talked about brown butter + dark brown sugar + oatmeal when I made s'mores oatmeal cookie cups... and it definitely involved the words "a meant-to-be situation." And it truly is. The nutty brown butter gives the oatmeal a deep, rich flavor... like toffee and caramel and butter and buttermilk pancakes. All together. All in your cookie. 

Real quick: let's talk about sugar. 

Have you ever had a salted caramel mocha from Starbucks? It's a fall thing. They sprinkle crunchy-sweet turbinado sugar and chunky bits of sea salt on top of their caramel and whipped cream. It's perfect and it's dreamy and this is that. On a cookie. 

Just sprinkle it on! The salt helps balance the sweetness from the rich white chocolate and the sugar adds a light, sweet crunch to an otherwise soft, chewy cookie.

Sugar + salt. Just another simple thing that makes these cookies absolutely irresistible/something to fall in love with.

And... brown butter: it's a wrap! Now is the time for new things (and an oatmeal cookie or two). Let's make it happen.  

Brown Butter White Chocolate Chunk Oatmeal Cookies

Printable Recipe 

3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter

1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

2/3 cup dark brown sugar

2/3 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs, at room temperature

8 ounces white chocolate, chopped

2 tablespoons granulated or coarse sugar + 1 tablespoon sea salt for sprinkling 

Prep. Line two baking sheets with a baking mat or spray with baking spray; set aside. In a small bowl, mix together the 2 tablespoon sugar and 1 tablespoon sea salt for sprinkling on your cookies.

Brown. First, brown the butter by melting it in a medium saucepan over medium heat, whisking constantly. The butter will begin to bubble and (after about 7-8 minutes) will foam and then quickly after, turn a golden brown with amber specks (for more information on how to brown butter click here). Immediately remove from heat and pour into a small bowl. Place in the refrigerator until cool to the touch. 

Mix. In a large bowl, whisk the oats, flour, baking soda and salt together. 

In the bowl of a stand mixture fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the cooled brown butter and vanilla extract on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Add the granulated sugar and dark brown sugar and beat until combined. 

Reduce mixer speed to low and beat in the eggs one at a time. Gradually add the oat mixture. Stir in the white chocolate chunks. 

Bake. Scoop dough 2 tablespoons at a time onto prepared baking sheets. Sprinkle with a pinch of sugar-salt mixture, then bake for 12-14 minutes, rotating the baking sheet halfway through baking. Cookies should be golden around the edges, but appear under-done in the centers (they'll set as they cool).

Remove from oven and let cookies cool 2 minutes on sheet, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. 

Makes about 3 dozen cookies.

Source: Barely adapted from Shauna Sever's Salted Vanilla Chip Oatmeal Cookies, as found in her book Pure Vanilla. 

Brown Butter Oatmeal S'mores Cookie Cups w/ Graham Cracker Frosting.

These cookie cups combine just about everything I love: s'mores, brown butter, swirls of frosting, crushed graham crackers, all things cupcake-shaped, bite-size marshmallows (that taste like Lucky Charms!), and all the flavors of my favorite soft, chewy, love-inspiring chocolate chip oatmeal cookies.

No... really. Love-inspiring. Because this is a s'mores/cupcake twist (go with it!) on the "I Want to Marry You" cookies. You know... just one of the best cookies I've ever made. Totally not a big deal/put them in your life already!

Basically: we're combining oatmeal cookies, s'mores, and cupcakes today. We're making cookie cups!

Cookie cups = thick, chewy cookies pretending to be cupcakes. They're totally a thing.

Reasons to bake these oatmeal cookie cups immediately...

❤ Brown butter. Obviously. See the golden specks? That nutty, caramel flavor pairs perfectly with the oatmeal, cinnamon, chocolate chips, and crushed graham crackers in an unbelievable way. It's a meant-to-be situation.

❤ I know. It's hard to get excited about an oatmeal cookie when there's brownie-swirled mint chip cookies and cake batter cookies and in the world, but these aren't just oatmeal cookies baked up in a muffin pan, pretending to be lazy day cupcakes. They're also packed with s'mores flavor.

❤ Chocolate. White chocolate chips and semisweet chocolate chips, because I'm indecisive, and mini chocolate chips sprinkled on top because... well, because they're cute.

❤ Crushed graham crackers. I replaced 1/2 cup of the oatmeal that would normally go into these chocolate chip oatmeal cookies with 1/2 cup of finely crushed graham crackers (in s'mores math, that's just 4 sheets of grahams). Oh man. This was such a good decision. I'd had my doubts about combining oatmeal cookies with s'mores, but not anymore.

Next stop: actually smashing an oatmeal cookie between two graham crackers, a square of chocolate, and a perfectly burnt marshmallow. Try and stop me.

❤ Still not done! Have you tried these teeny, tiny marshmallow bits yet?

They taste exactly like Lucky Charms. And these sugary, vanilla bite-size morsels are both baked into these cookies and sprinkled on top. Because... do it. They're like marshmallow sprinkles... and I love everything about those words.

❤ Nothing could be easier than pressing fat scoops of cookie dough into a muffin pan.

❤ And look how thick they bake up!

❤ Graham cracker cream cheese frosting. Sugary, cream cheese frosting + crushed graham crackers. I can't even.

Honestly, this is probably the only bulletpoint I needed on this list of reasons to bake these. Of everything that went into these cookies, as adorable as I thought the mini marshmallows and chocolate bits looked sprinkled on top, this frosting got the biggest reaction from my cookie-tester.

... and then I was told in no uncertain terms that it needed to immediately be put on top some kind of chocolate cake. 

❤ And finally... two-bite cookie cupcakes are just infinitely cuter than regular scooped-and-baked cookies. Fact.

Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Oatmeal S'mores Cookie Cups

Printable Recipe

Cookies
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, browned and cooled
1/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 large egg + 1 egg yolk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 cup oats
1/2 cup crushed graham crackers (about 4 sheets of crackers)
1/2 cup vanilla Jet Puffed Mallow Bits
1 cup chocolate chips (I used 1/2 cup semisweet chips & 1/2 cup white chocolate chips)

Graham Cracker Frosting
1/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
2 cups powdered sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/3 cups crushed finely crushed graham crackers
Mini chocolate chips & Jet Puffed Mallow Bits for sprinkling

First, brown the butter by melting it in a small saucepan over medium heat, whisking constantly until golden brown (for more information on browning butter click here). Pour browned butter into a small bowl and place in the refrigerator until cooled. 

When butter is cooled, place in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and cream together with the sugar and brown sugar until smooth. Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla and beat until smooth and fully incorporated.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, cinnamon, oats, and crushed graham crackers. Add all at once to the butter mixture and mix on low speed until just combined. 

Stir in the marshmallow bits and chocolate chips with a wooden spoon. Chill dough for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Generously spray a regular-sized muffin pan with baking spray. Scoop two heaping tablespoons of cookie dough into each muffin cup and gently press down (cups should be filled about 2/3 of the way).

Bake for 15 minutes, until edges begin to turn golden. The cookie centers will appear under-done and gooey, but will set as they cool. Remove from oven and immediately run a knife around the edges so they'll be easier to remove when cool. Allow to cool completely before frosting.

To make frosting, beat the softened butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy. Slowly mix in the powdered sugar. Mix in the vanilla extract, then beat at high speed until the desired consistency (Too thick? Add a tablespoon at a time of milk. Not thick enough? Add 1/4 cup more of powdered sugar. Too sweet? Add a pinch more of salt.) Fold in the crushed graham crackers.

Scoop frosting into a ziploc bag, snip off the end, and pipe frosting swirls on top of the cups (I used a Wilton #1M piping tipe). Sprinkle with marshmallow bits and mini chocolate chips.

Keep cookie cups refrigerated.

Makes 16 cookie cups.

Source: Cookie cups a Bakergirl original recipe. Graham cracker frosting from The Cupcake Project.

Brown Butter Oatmeal M&M Cookies.

Part of being a pro girlfriend is having the supernatural ability to forget overlook totally important things, like directions and movie times and what your boyfriend really said and something-something-something about an oil change? and being able to remember all the unimportant, tiny details. 

Things like... how you still open doors for us, even when we're being difficult and snappy with each other. We like that. We like that way more than being reminded to check the air in our tires. 

Things like... how you put justthismuch cream in your iced coffee and a packet and a half of Splenda. Seriously.

Things like... everything you've ever said about our clothing, make-up, or hair. We get it. More tank tops, less make-up, and stop curling your hair and hiding it all up in a ponytail!

What I'm trying to say is... I definitely remember how three or four years ago, my boyfriend said something along the lines of, "I hate mini M&Ms. They're just not the same. They're tiny and weak." 

Check out this act of rebellion!

... which apparently he never said? Or didn't mean? Or was having a bad day? 

Because he walked in the door, found these cookies, and promptly ate them.

Then took them to work for breakfast the next day. Real life.

These thick, chewy, rainbow M&M cookies must be magic. They're changing minds, passing for breakfast, and are stuffed full of all kinds of good things. Oats. Cinnamon. Chocolate. That extra something special from brown butter.  

See the tiny brown specks of brown butter? It's love.

Summertime baking means scooping cookie dough with an ice cream scoop. Can we put this on a waffle cone and call it breakfast?

I say yes. It's summer! Bake with ice cream scoops, change minds, and eat cookies for breakfast.

Oh and butter. Brown it!

Brown Butter Oatmeal M&M Cookies

Printable Recipe

1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup rolled oats
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup mini M&Ms
1-2 tablespoons milk, optional (if dough is crumbly)

Heat a small saucepan over medium heat and add butter. Whisking constantly, brown your butter by cooking until bubbly and small brown bits appear at the bottom of the pan, about 5-6 minutes (more details on how to brown butter here). Immediately remove from heat, pour into a heat-proof bowl, and allow to cool completely. It should not be warm to the touch. 

In a medium bowl, combine flour, oats, salt, baking powder, and cinnamon; set aside.

Once butter has cooled, add to a large bowl. Whisk in sugar and brown sugar. Add egg and vanilla, whisking until smooth. Slowly stir in dry ingredients. If dough is crumbly, add a tablespoon of milk at a time until dough begins to come together. Stir in mini M&Ms. 

Refrigerate dough for 30 minutes. 

Preheat oven to 375°F. Scoop dough onto a parchment-lined baking sheet using an ice cream scoop, flatten slightly with a spatula, and bake for 10-12 minutes, or until bottoms and edges are golden. Let cool before serving.

Makes 12-15 big cookies.

Source: How Sweet It Is.