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Pumpkin, Sage, and Browned Butter Cupcakes
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Pumpkin, Sage, & Brown Butter Cupcakes

Pumpkin, Sage, and Browned Butter Cupcakes. What gets more autumnally indulgent than THAT? The sage is swirled with the brown butter, offering a savory, sweet, almost umami flavor. The pumpkin keeps the cupcake moist, which also gets a helping hand from the brown butter icing. MAKE. THESE. A. PRIORITY.
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time40 minutes
Course: Dessert
Servings: 15 cupcakes

Ingredients

For the cupcakes:

  • 3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for tins
  • 1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour plus more for tins
  • 1/4 cup fresh sage leaves, cut into chiffonade
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
  • 1/8 tsp ground cloves
  • 1 cup canned pumpkin puree
  • 1 cup packed light-brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs

For the Brown Butter Icing:

  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
  • 2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
  • 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 2 Tbsp milk plus more if needed

Instructions

For the cupcakes:

  • Preheat oven to 325 F. Brush standard muffin tins with butter; dust with flour, tapping out excess.
  • In a saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Add the sage, and continue to cook, swirling occasionally, until butter turns golden brown. Skim foam from top, and remove from heat. Pour into a bowl to stop the cooking, leaving any burned sediment behind; let cool.
  • Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. In another bowl, whisk together the pumpkin puree, both sugars, eggs, and brown-butter mixture. Add flour mixture and whisk until just combined.
  • Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each three-quarters full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until cake tester inserted in center comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool completely before removing cupcakes.
  • Cupcakes can be stored overnight at room temperature, or frozen up to 2 months, in airtight containers.
  • To finish, dip top of each cupcake in icing, then turn over quickly and let set. Cupcakes are best eaten the day they are glazed, keep at room temperature until ready to serve.

For the Brown Butter Icing:

  • Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat, swirling pan occasionally, until nut-brown in color, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat, and pour butter into bowl, leaving behind any burned sediment.
  • Add confectioners' sugar, vanilla, and 2 tablespoons milk to brown butter, stir until smooth. If necessary, add more milk (up to 2 tablespoons) a little at a time, just until icing is spreadable. Use immediately.

Notes

Original recipe from Martha Stewart's "Cupcakes".