Browned Butter Chocolate Custard Cupcakes

Makes approximately 24 regular sized cupcakes. Follow recipe to a T!

*Tip: It is best if you mise en place (measure out) everything before you begin. Since this recipe needs to be done pretty exactly as stated, it will help your baking go a lot more smoothly.

1. Preheat oven to 325˚F. Line two 12 cup cupcake tins with liners and set aside.

2. Next, let’s brown the butter:
-In a small saucepan, add your 1/2 cup of butter. Over medium heat, melt the butter.
-Once butter is all the way melted it will boil and froth. At this point, watch carefully, things will move quickly now.
-Once the bubbles die down and leave only froth, you will start to smell a nutty scent! Almost there!
-Swirl pan around. You should see a light golden brown color and a notice a very nutty smell. Once that happens cook another 5-10 seconds and remove pan from heat. Pour into a bowl to cool (and stop the cooking).

3. In a small sauce pot, add your milk and vanilla extract. Gently warm over medium low heat until just warmed. You want the temperature to be a little warmer than your body temperature. So dip that finger in. If it’s slightly warm to the touch, you’re perfect! Turn off the heat and set aside.

4. In a bowl whisk together your flour, cocoa powder and salt until totally combined. Set aside.

5. For this recipe we will need to make a small amount of fresh coffee. Make a cup and set aside 2 tablespoons.

6. In a clean and dry stand or hand held mixer bowl, beat your egg whites. You will want to make sure you have stiff peaks. Set aside.

7. In another clean bowl, beat your eggs yolks and powdered sugar on low speed. Once mixed in, scrape down bowl, turn up speed and beat until light and fluffy. Add your cooled, browned butter. Mix again thoroughly.

8. Mix together your milk/vanilla mixture with your coffee. With mixer on low, alternate adding your flour/cocoa mix and milk/coffee mix into your yolks, 1/2 at a time. Stop and scrape bowl between add ins. Yes, your mixture should be VERY liquidy. Like hot chocolate consistency. You’re OK. Keep going.

9. Next, add your egg whites into your batter. Gently fold/whip/cut your whites into the batter until it is almost completely mixed in. Little egg white clumps are OK but just make sure to break up any large chunks.

10. Carefully pour your batter into your cupcake liners. You can go ahead and fill almost all the way up. I did 3/4 of the way. These cakes will rise only slightly. My batter yielded 23 cupcakes, but if I had poured a tiny less in I would have gotten 24.

11. Bake for 15-20 minutes turning the pans half way through your timing. You are wanting your cakes to be puffed and cracked slightly, and still barely jiggling in the very center. Remove from oven, set pans on racks and let them cool completely!

If you’re making a day ahead, just refrigerate overnight. Once cooled, plate up and dust with a generous portion of powdered sugar.

Notes:
-Can be made a day or two ahead. Just refrigerate in an airtight container.
-Keep leftovers stored in a airtight container in the fridge.

Recipe adapted from White on Rice Couple.