Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Muffins

These brown butter chocolate chip muffins are incredible! A bit more rich and decadent than your average muffin, they have amazing flavor.

If you’ve never added brown butter to your muffin batter, now is the time to start! These simple muffins are made extra special thanks to the flavor-loaded brown butter.

How to Brown Butter

We can’t launch into a discussion about these muffins without first addressing the most important part: brown butter!

Browning butter can level up your cooking and baking game like nothing else. And it’s so easy and fast. In fact, it’s so fast, that you don’t want to walk away, because butter can go from deliciously golden to burned in a matter of seconds.

It helps to use a light-colored skillet so you can easily tell when the butter is starting to brown. Dark-colored or nonstick skillets can still be used, but just keep in mind that the darker color can make it difficult to judge when the butter is done (and it’s a bit easier to burn it).

To brown butter, simply melt butter in a skillet and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until it bubbles and foams and the milk solids in the butter turn a golden, nutty color. It’s going to smell fragrant and caramel-like. Once it is sufficiently browned, immediately remove the skillet from the heat and pour the butter into a bowl so it doesn’t continue to cook.

Using Brown Butter in Muffin Batter

For this recipe, you can use the butter pretty quickly after it has been browned. No need to let it cool all the way.

1. Mix the sugars with the warm brown butter.
2. Add the eggs, sour cream and vanilla. (You can add them all together, despite what my pictures show 😉)
3. Add the dry ingredients and mix just a few times before adding the chocolate chips and mixing until just combined.

This batter is thick and luscious. In fact, at first glance, it almost looks like chocolate chip cookie dough.

But upon closer inspection (ahem, and tasting), it is very much a batter that is begging to fulfill the measure of its existence as a cute little muffin bringing joy to the hearts of any who partake.

A Few Notes

• While definitely soft and moist, these muffins are bit sturdier compared to other super light and fluffy muffins. (I love the texture of the crumb!)
• Before the muffins are baked, you can sprinkle the tops with a bit of coarse or raw/turbinado sugar. While optional, it adds the most delightfully sweet crunch to the rich brown butter muffins. I highly recommend it.
• The recipe makes anywhere from 12 to 16 muffins, depending on how full you fill the muffin cups and the brand of muffin tin you use.

One bite of these brown butter chocolate chip muffins, and you’ll know why they are so irresistible.

Set apart by the decided brown butter flavor, sugary topping, and cookie-like flair, they are perfect for everything from an after school snack to a fancy brunch spread.

These are muffins that deserve to be relished. To be appreciated. To be praised. They are exceptional.

P.S. I think they would transition quite well into mini muffins for a bite-size brown butter treat!

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Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Muffins

Yield: 12 to 16 muffins

Prep Time: 30 minutes mins

Cook Time: 17 minutes mins

Total Time: 43 minutes mins

• ¾ cup (12 tablespoons, 170 g) salted butter
• ¾ cup (160 g) granulated sugar
• ½ cup (106 g) packed light brown sugar
• 2 large (100 g) eggs
• ¾ cup (170 g) sour cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups (284 g) all-purpose flour
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 1 to 1 ½ cups (170 to 255 g) milk, semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips
• Coarse or raw/turbinado sugar, for sprinkling (optional)

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners. You may need to bake a second batch or use two liners, depending on how full you fill the muffin cups.

• For the brown butter, cut the butter into pieces and add to a 10-inch skillet (preferably light-colored so you can see easily when the butter has browned). Heat over medium heat, stirring as the butter melts so that it cooks evenly.

• As the butter continues to cook, constantly and slowly stir with a silicone spatula. The butter will foam, sizzle, bubble, and after a few minutes (anywhere from 5 to 8 minute), the solids in the butter will begin to turn golden. Brown butter can burn easily, so don’t walk away!

• When the butter solids are browned and golden and it smells caramelly and fragrant, immediately remove the skillet from the heat and pour the butter into a bowl. Let the butter cool for a few minutes.

• For the muffins, add the granulated sugar and brown sugar to the brown butter and mix to combine well.

• Add the eggs, sour cream and vanilla, and mix until evenly combined.

• Add the flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda. Mix a couple of times to begin combining the batter, but don’t mix all the way.

• Add the chocolate chips when there are still plenty of dry streaks in the batter. Mix until just combined and no dry patches remain (don’t over mix).

• Portion the batter into the prepared muffin tin, filling the muffin cups 2/3 to 3/4 full. Sprinkle the tops with coarse sugar, if using.

• Bake for 17 to 20 minutes until the tops spring back lightly to the touch. Remove the muffins to a wire rack to cool completely.

Author: Mel

Course: Bread

Cuisine: American

Method: Bake

Serving: 1 muffin, Calories: 318kcal, Carbohydrates: 38g, Protein: 4g, Fat: 17g, Saturated Fat: 10g, Cholesterol: 51mg, Sodium: 237mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 22g

Recipe Source: Mel’s Kitchen Cafe