Browned Butter Chocolate Chunk Muffins are a treat worth the effort.
These are not your average chocolate chip muffins! First, we’re using browned butter, which is simply divine if you’ve never had it. It makes everything better, whether sweet or savory. Then, we use chunks of chocolate for a bigger chocolate experience (and you can pick from higher-quality options). A generous amount of sour cream helps make the muffins tender, and a healthy sprinkle of sugar on top gives them a glistening, crunchy finish.
Browned Butter Chocolate Chunk Muffins
Backstory
Recently, my friend Tracey passed on a stack of cooking magazines. I used to have multiple subscriptions to cooking magazines in the past but canceled them in favor of online access. But I enjoyed thumbing through them one night and tearing out a few pages of recipes I wanted to make. That’s how I decided to make these Browned Butter Chocolate Chunk Muffins.
The other factor is that I feel like I needed a reason to bake. Now that it’s only me, it seems too extravagant to make sweets for myself. So, I decided to bring half the muffins to my neighbor, who plowed some wet, heavy spring snow for me months ago. Hey, better late than never!
Cooking Class series
This recipe is from Cook’s Country and is part of their Cooking Class series. That said, it incorporates a number of steps and techniques that are more involved than your average muffin recipe. I’ve outlined these steps below and added my advice for short cuts if you want to simply.
Cooking Class vs. Simplified Version for Muffins
Cook’s County Recipe: details how to create your own muffin lines from parchment paper. These hand-made lines are taller and keep the muffing from the normal crowning.
Easy Option: You could use standard muffin liners instead. I estimate this will yield more than 12 muffins because you won’t put as much batter into each cup. However, I am not sure of the exact quantity.
Cook’s County Recipe: calls for chopped semisweet chocolate. I like this option because it allows me to upgrade to a superior-quality chocolate like Lindt, one of my favorites.
Easy Option: Use an equal amount of chocolate chips with whatever quality you prefer. They are your muffins, after all.
Cook’s Country Recipe: calls for browned butter. I highly recommend taking the extra few minutes for this option. Browned butter adds a nutty flavor and makes these muffins special. Be sure to add all of the browned bits because that’s where all the flavor is!
Easy Option: You could use regular melted butter – but don’t!!!
Cook’s Country: uses regular white sugar to sprinkle on the muffins, which is totally acceptable.
Extra Special: I used coarse turbinado sugar because I had it on hand, and it added a fun, crunchy sugar experience.
Love Baking?
Here’s a yummy bar that also uses browned butter and one of my other favorite muffin recipes.
Browned Butter Chocolate Chunk Muffins
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 TB. baking powder
- 1 tsp. salt
- 8 oz. semisweet chocolate chopped coarse
- 16 TB. unsalted butter
- 1 1/4 sugar
- 1/4 cup turbinado or white sugar for sprinkling
- 2 large eggs
- 2 cups sour cream
- 4 tsp. vanilla extract
Instructions
- Position rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. (optional- Cut 12 6″ squares of parchment paper. Press each square around bottom of tapered drinking glass with 1 3/4 to 2″ base, pressing paper to form cup shape. Place parchment liners in muffin cups, allowing excess parchment to protrude vertically from cups.) Or use regular muffin paper liners.
- Cut butter into tablespoon-sized pieces and melt butter in 10″ skillet over medium heat. Cook, occasionally swirling pan, until butter is dark golden brown and has nutty aroma, 4-5 minutes. Transfer browned butter to a small bowl and let cool slightly, about 10 minutes.
- Whisk flour, baking powder and salt together in medium bowl. Stir in chopped chocolate and set aside.
- Whisk 1 1/4 cup sugar and eggs in a separate large bowl until thick and creamy, about 1 minute. Whisk in sour cream, vanilla and browned butter (be sure to include all of the browned bits, it's where all the flavor is!) Fold in flour mixture with rubber spatula until just moistened; do not overmix. (Batter will be thick and lumpy with spots of dry flour.)
- Using greased 1/3 cup dry measuring cup (I used cooking spray), portion heaping 1/3 cup batter into each muffin cup, sprinkle the 1/4 turbinado or remaining white sugar over batter.
- Bake until muffins are golden brown and toothpick inserted in center comes out with few crumbs attached, 20 to 25 minutes, rotating muffin tin halfway through baking. Let muffins cool in muffin tin on wire rack for 5 minutes. Transfer muffins to rack and let cool for at least 10 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Can I use this recipe and substitute blueberries for the chocolate? I have made the chocolate ones, they were delicious. I loved the texture and thought I would like to try blueberries this time.
I’ve never tried that but I did a search on Browned Butter Blueberry Muffins and found a number of recipes. So you are not the first one to consider that combination. Give a try and let me know what you think.
Can I brown the butter the night before? If so, do I need to melt it before using it? I want to make them in the morning but wonāt have time to brown the butter. Thank you.
Yes! You can make your brown butter days in advance. In fact I’ve stored browned butter in the frig for weeks and frozen it as well. You will have to warm it again to melt it for this recipe. But that’s easy enough to do in your microwave on a low setting (to prevent splattering.)
Omg all of those recipes sound so good. I really love browned butter!
Me too! It’s great in sweet and savory recipes. I have a tomato soup recipe with browned butter croutons that I made recently and it puts me in my happy place. š