Browned Butter Banana Bread Cupcakes
What a delight these gluten free Browned Butter Banana Bread Cupcakes are. They are everything you’d expect in banana bread, moist, sweet and perfectly banana-y. Then add the aroma and flavor of nutty toffee from the browned butter. Of course we double down on that flavor by topping them with Browned Butter Cream Cheese Frosting. An undeniably special combination of cream and tangy frosting with rich toffee undertones. So simple to make with few ingredients, yet tastes complex.
Make the Browned Butter
For this recipe, the browned butter needs to be at room temp, like a softened butter. The temperature and viscosity of the butter is important in this recipe because it needs to be creamed with the sugar in the batter and the cream cheese and sugar in the frosting.
This requires making the browned butter in advance then giving it enough time to cool to room temp. This process can be sped up by placing it in the fridge, but you need to keep an eye on it so that it doesn’t get cold and solid.
The Browned Butter Banana Bread Cupcakes Batter
This part is straightforward and simple, just like making any other cupcake batter. Begin by creaming the browned butter and sugar in a mixing bowl using a hand mixer. Then add the eggs, mashed bananas, heavy cream and vanilla. Make sure to combine well between ingredients.
Give the flour and baking soda a quick stir to combine them in a bowl prior to adding them to the wet ingredients. Then add them slowly to the wet mixture on a low speed with the hand mixer. Once all of the flour is combined, turn the speed to high and add a bit of air to the batter.
Bake the Cupcakes
Whether you are making regular or mini cupcakes, line the wells in the trays, then scoop the batter in. Bake them up in the preheated oven, then let them cool to room temp before frosting.
Browned Butter Cream Cheese Frosting
In a large mixing bowl, cream the browned butter and softened cream cheese until smooth. Gradually add the powdered sugar and cinnamon (optional). Taste and add more powdered sugar if you like it sweeter.
Transfer the frosting to a piping bag (or an improvised one like mine made out of a gallon ziplock with the corner cut off). Pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes and enjoy!
More Gluten Free Cupcake Deliciousness
- Chocolate Hazelnut Cupcakes
- Not so “Vanilla” Cupcakes
- Praline Pecan Cupcakes
- Peanut Butter, Banana, Chocolate Chip Cupcakes
- S’mores Cupcakes
- Coconut Cupcakes with Lime Frosting
- Irish Coffee Cupcakes
Browned Butter Banana Bread Cupcakes
Ingredients
For the Browned Butter Banana Bread Cupcakes:
- ½ cup room temp browned butter
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 ½ cups overripe bananas (mashed)
- ½ cup heavy cream or whole milk
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups gluten free flour blend with xanthan gum
- 1 tsp baking soda
For the Frosting:
- 1 cup room temp browned butter
- ½ cup cream cheese (softened)
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon (optional)
Instructions
For the Browned Butter:
- Several hours or a day ahead, prepare the browned butter by melting all 1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) of butter needed for the cupcakes and frosting in a small saucepan over medium high heat. Stir continuously to prevent splattering and milk solids from burning on the bottom of the pan.
- The butter will foam and bubble for several minutes. Reduce the heat if it threatens to boil over the top of the pan. Within about 7 minutes the butter will begin to smell nutty and brown bits will begin to bubble up. When the liquid is the color of maple syrup, remove it from the heat and allow it to cool to room temp.
- You can speed up the process by putting it in the fridge, however, it should not be cold and solid. Stir to distribute the browned bits evenly as it cools, then divide for the recipe and frosting.
For the Browned Butter Banana Bread Cupcakes:
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees and line 2 trays of muffin tins with paper.
- Cream the browned butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl using a stand or hand mixer.
- Add the eggs, blending until combined well. Then add the mashed bananas, heavy cream and vanilla using the hand mixer to combine thoroughly.
- In a small mixing bowl, combine the flour and baking soda, then add the dry ingredients to the wet and combine well using the mixer.
- Fill each of the lined muffin wells approximately ⅔ full and bake in the preheated oven for 22-25 minutes for regular sized cupcakes, 13-15 minutes for mini cupcakes. Remove from the oven and let cool to room temp.
For the Browned Butter Cream Cheese Frosting:
- In a large mixing bowl, cream the browned butter and cream cheese until well combined. Gradually add the powdered sugar and cinnamon. Taste and add more powdered sugar if you’d like it to be sweeter.
- Transfer the frosting to a piping bag or use a knife to frost the cooled cupcakes as you’d like. And enjoy!
