Pumpkin Cupcakes with Browned Butter Maple Frosting

Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray two 12-count cupcake tins with non-stick spray. Recipe makes roughly 16 to 18 cupcakes so you won’t use two full pans. Set pans aside.

Combine flour, baking soda, salt, baking powder and pumpkin pie spice together in a bowl.

In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attached, beat granulated sugar and butter together until fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time. Scrape down the sides of the bowl after adding each egg. Mix in the vanilla. Slowly beat in the dry ingredients. Fold in the pumpkin puree.

Fill each cupcake mold 2/3 of the way full with the batter. Bake in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of one comes out clean. Remove cupcakes from oven and set pans on a rack. Allow to cool for several minutes in the cupcake tins, then transfer to a parchment paper lined cooling rack. Cool completely before frosting.

While cupcakes are cooling, heat butter in a saucepan over medium heat. As butter melts, it will foam slightly. Continue to cook until you notice little brown bits forming at the bottom of the pan. Stir the butter or shake the pan and continue cooking until the butter is a tan color and has a nutty aroma. Remove from heat and set pan on a cool surface otherwise the butter will continue to cook in the pan. Allow butter to cool completely.

Once cooled, place butter in a bowl with 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar and use a mixer to cream together. Beat in vanilla extract. Beat in maple syrup. Beat in 2 tablespoons of milk. The frosting should be thick but spreadable. Add remaining milk if frosting is too thick. Frost the cooled cupcakes using your preferred method and serve.