How To Make Browned Butter

A Video Tutorial

By Caro

Browned butter, and browned butter cookies in particular, isn't something heard of that much in the UK.  But trust me, once you taste how good it makes things, in particular cookies, you will wonder why you never had it before.

What Is Browned Butter?

It is really simple to make browned butter. It is just that, butter that you have browned. Well technically it’s clarified butter, that has been toasted a little.

What Is Clarified Butter?

Now don’t let ‘clarified butter’ put you off. This is so simple to do, and I use it for buttercream fillings in sandwich cookies, as it’s a lot firmer setting than regular buttercream and so ideal.

Clarifying the butter, just means separating the fat from the liquid. This is done really simply on the stove top, by gently letting the butter melt, then come to a boil, and left until it changes from a solid yellow colour to more translucent, and a little foamy.

As this happens, there will be residue forming at the bottom of the pan. Be sure to keep that, as it’s full of flavour! Especially so, when you leave to cook just a little longer and let the liquid colour change to having a slight brown tinge to it. And at this stage, the clarified butter is browned. Just don’t let it brown too much or it will be burnt.

Browning Butter -The Process

Melt the butter on a medium heat, (this will be quicker if you cube the butter first). Then let it come to a boil. Note the colour of the butter once it has melted. It will be an opaque yellow colour. See Photo 1.

Let the butter boil & bubble away for at least 5 minutes and until the liquid and fats separate. It will begin to smell nice and a foam will form on the surface. The liquid will change to more of a translucent consistency, and some residue will be visible on the bottom of the pan. (See Photo 2 below).

Once the liquid starts to turn a slight brown colour, it’s time to remove from the heat. Don’t leave any longer or it will be burnt. So ideal to keep an eye on the colour.

Watch my video below for this process, and also Photo 2 below, of the stages.

4 photo collage of pan with melted yellow coloured butter and ending browned and foaming when browned butter - photo 2. — *Stages of making browned butter*

Pour the browned butter into a small heat safe bowl and be sure to scrape down the residue and add this to the bowl, as this is where the flavour is. Leave to cool down a little before adding to recipes that call for melted butter. Alternatively, you can transfer to a different container once cool and let it harden to use later like regular butter.

So here’s a little video of the process. Check out my Browned Butter Nut & Chocolate Cookies recipe. You can also use to make browned butter buttercream.

How To Make Browned Butter Video

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DIFFICULTY LEVEL: easy, beginner