Brown butter layered brownies

Recipe from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Brown butter layered brownies

Ingredients:
For brownie layer
113g unsalted butter
170g plain chocolate, chopped
400g caster sugar
4 eggs
½ tsp salt
155g plain flour
1 tsp vanilla extract
For the brown butter layer
113g unsalted butter
230g icing sugar, sifted
60ml double cream
1tsp vanilla extract
For the glaze
43g unsalted butter
113g plain chocolate


Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 170C/325F/mark 3. Grease and line an 9x13 inch pan.

2. For the brownie layer, place the butter in a small saucepan and heat gently until completely melted. Set aside to cool.

3. In a large bowl, mix together the eggs, sugar and salt. Once the mixture has become thick and more pale, fold in the chocolate mixture. Sift in the flour, add the vanilla and mix thoroughly. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes, then allow to cool completely.

4. For the brown butter layer, place the butter in a small saucepan and heat gently until melted. Continue to heat until the butter browns. Transfer to a small bowl, then mix in the icing sugar, cream and vanilla. Spread over the brownies.

5. For the glaze, melt the butter and chocolate together in a heatproof bowl in the microwave oven or over a pan of simmering water. Pour over the brownies and chill until set.

Easter Cupcakes

These cupcakes can be frosted and topped in many ways; the chocolate is quite subtle and they taste rather syrupy. These could be frosted with ganache (dark or white), golden sryup buttercream, or even nutella. I opted for a brown butter vanilla buttercream (follow a buttercream recipe, browning the butter first, and mix in vanilla bean paste or extract).

Recipe for the cupcakes from LRF

White Chocolate Fudge Cupcakes

makes 12

Ingredients:
125g unsalted butter
100g white chocolate, chopped
150g brown sugar
90g golden syrup
160ml milk
150g plain flour
50g self raising flour
1 egg

Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 190C/375F/mark 5 and line a muffin pan with 12 paper cases.

2. Melt the butter, chocolate, sugar, golden syrup and milk together in a small saucepan. Pour into a medium-sized heat proof bowl and leave to cool for 15 minutes.

3. Sift the flours and mix into the cooled mixture. Beat in the egg.

4. Divide the batter amongst the cases and bake for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the centre of the cakes comes out clean.

Slutty Cheesecake bars

Recipe from Bakers Royale

The recipe below yields about 900g of cookie dough; only 225g is needed for one batch of the bars, so the remaining cookie dough can be frozen and used later.

Slutty Cheesecake Bars

Ingredients:
For the base (1/3 of the following)
200g unsalted butter
100g caster sugar
60g muscovado sugar
170g dark brown sugar
1tsp salt
3tsp vanilla extract
1 egg
1 egg yolk
250g plain flour, sifted
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
150g chocolate chips
For the filling
16 oreos
340g cream cheese
65g caster sugar
1 egg
1tsp vanilla extract
For the topping5 oreos
85g maltesers



Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/mark 4. Line a 20x20cm pan with foil, leaving a slight overhang.


2. For the cookie dough base, brown the butter in a small saucepan and transfer to a medium-sized bowl. Mix in the sugars, salt, vanilla extract and egg and egg yolk. Mix in the flour, bicarbonate of soda and chocolate.


3. Measure out 225g of the cookie dough and press into the bottom of the prepared pan. The thickness should be about 1/8 inch. Bake for 15 minutes, or until crisp at the edges.


4. For the filling, mix together the cream cheese, caster sugar, egg and vanilla extract. Arrange the oreos on top of the cookie base and pour the cheesecake batter on top.


5. Roughly chop the oreos and maltesers and sprinkle over the top of the cheesecake filling. Bake for 35-40 minutes. Leave to cool to room temperature and refrigerate for 8 hours before slicing. 

Brown Butter Tea Cakes

These can be made with various combinations of fillings and toppings- I made some with blackberry filling with pistachios, cherry filling with almonds and apricot filling with almonds and pistachios.

Recipe from Always With Butter

Brown Butter Tea Cakes
Makes 12

Ingredients:
225g unsalted butter, browned and re-solidified
300g caster sugar
4 eggs, separated
470g plain flour
1tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
120ml milk
jam
225g icing sugar, sifted
few tablespoons milk

Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/mark 4. Line a muffin pan with 12 paper cases.

2. Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy and mix in the egg yolks, one by one.

3. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt.

4. In alternating thirds, mix the flour mixture and the milk into the butter mixture.

5. In another bowl, whip the egg whites to soft peaks. Carefully fold into the rest of the batter.

6. Fill the muffin cases with two tablespoons each of the batter, followed by one tablespoon of jam and then another two tablespoons of batter. Ensure that the jam is completely covered.

7. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until set and a skewer comes away clean from being inserted in the cake (not the jam).

8. Leave to cool on a wire rack. To glaze, mix together the icing sugar with enough milk to achieve a pourable icing and drizzle over the cakes.

Raspberry & White Chocolate Blondies

With the richness of brown butter, and packed full of summery raspberries, these are the perfect blondies for when you want to enjoy the season, despite the unpredictable weather.

Recipe from BBC Good Food

Raspberry & White Chocolate Chip Blondies
Makes about 20 squares

Ingredients:
200g unsalted butter

150g white chocolate, chopped
300g light brown soft sugar
3 eggs
200g plain flour
¼ tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
125g raspberries
     

Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/mark 4 and butter and line a 25x22cm tin.

2. Heat the butter in a saucepan until golden brown and leave to cool for about 5 minutes. Add half the white chocolate and stir to combine and melt the chocolate.

3. Whisk together the sugar and eggs until pale and creamy. Mix in the butter-chocolate mixture and sift and fold in the flour and salt. Mix in the vanilla extract. Carefully fold in the raspberries and remaining white chocolate chunks and pour the batter into the prepared tin. Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until risen and set in the centre. Leave to cool and slice into squares.

Brown Butter Cake with Cookie Dough Frosting

I had a little think about what cake to make my brother for his birthday. Whenever I ask what he might like me to bake, he always asks for cookies- usually chocolate chip.

I ended up finding this recipe from Always With Butter- the cake recipe is from here and the frosting here.

I have only once used brown butter before, though I really do love it. All you have to do is heat it until it turns a deep golden colour, and it will become rich and smell like fudge- when I did this, the whole house smelled amazing. Don't discard any of the butter- including the dark flecks which accumulate at the bottom, as these hold much of the flavour.

Lovely fluffy cake mix. I transferred this to a loose-based 8 inch pan which I have only used a few times- for cheesecakes.

10 minutes through the baking I had a look through the oven window and saw cake mix dripping from beneath the pan...

I scooped up and discarded the oven-floor mix and put the pan on a tray, but it kept leaking- it turned out the pan is a little bent...
Most of the mix was still in the pan, so I transferred it to a 6 inch pan and some cupcake cases. The cooking time was about the same, so if you want to use a smaller pan, the times don't really need adjusting.

Brown Butter Cake

Ingredients:
340g (12oz) butter
330g (1 cup)caster sugar
2 eggs and 4 egg yolks
1tbsp vanilla extract
410g (2½ + 2tbsp) flour
1tbsp baking powder
1tsp salt
300ml (1¼ cups) milk 

Method:
1. Butter and flour a 7 inch cake pan. Preheat the oven to 180◦C/350F/mark 4.

2. Melt the butter in a pan over a medium heat and continue to heat until it has browned- turned golden and started smelling nutty and sugary. Leave to cool, pour into a dish and refrigerate for 1 hour.

3. In another bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt.

4. In a mixing bowl, cream the butter until pale and smooth. Add the sugar and continue to beat until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla extract.

5. Add the eggs and egg yolks, a little at a time, until fully incorporated.

6. In alternating thirds, mix in the flour mixture and the milk. Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 30-40 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.

Cookie Dough Frosting

Ingredients:
Frosting Dough
55g (¼ cup) unsalted butter
80g (¼ + 2tbsp) brown sugar

2tsp water
½tsp vanilla extract
60g (½ flour)

¼tsp salt
55g (  cup) chocolate chips  

Frosting
200g (1¾ cup) icing sugar
115g (½ cup) unsalted butter
pinch salt
½tsp vanilla
1tbsp milk

Method:
1. Beat together the butter and sugar for the dough, and stir in the water, vanilla, flour and salt. Fold in the chocolate chips.

2. Beat together the icing sugar, butter and salt for the frosting, and mix in the vanilla and milk.

3. Add the dough to the frosting and mix until well combined.

Ganache

Ingredients:
170g(1 cup) chocolate
90ml(3/8 cup) double cream

Method:
1. Break the chocolate into small pieces and place in a bowl.

2. Bring the cream to a simmer and pour over the chocolate. Leave for 5 minutes until whisking till smooth. Chill until the consistency is suitable for spreading.