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!