Browned Butter 101: How To Brown Butter

The cooking and baking world has long been obsessed with brown butter.  Very charmingly called “beurre noisette” (or hazelnut butter…and it’s actually delicious *with* hazelnuts), it’s basically butter that’s been gently boiled until the milk solids evaporate, leaving you with a clarified, brown, nutty pool of YUM.

It’s useful everything from baking to simple, rich pasta sauces, and is actually super simple to make as long as you know what to look for.  So today we’re going to talk about how to brown butter.

Place a pan on medium heat.  As much as possible, make sure it’s a pan that conducts heat evenly.  I like to cut my butter up into even chunks that will melt faster, to speed up the process and also so some of the butter doesn’t cook faster than other parts. 

Use a spatula to gently move things around while it’s melting, so certain areas don’t burn.

Once it’s melted, it will start foaming pretty intensely and loudly.  Occasionally stir gently as the milk solids start to cook out and the white foam goes away.  If it’s popping and actually shooting hot butter at you, turn your heat down a little.

It’s going to progress from a brighter yellow color to eventually more golden-y to a beautiful caramel brown.  Don’t take your eye off the ball here, it can burn pretty fast.

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Once it develops that beautiful nutty aroma and you can see those brown bits on the bottom, remove from the heat.  Pour into a container to set. 

Some people will tell you to try and make sure that the brown sediment at the bottom of the pan doesn’t come with you…I’m of two minds on that, so I’d just try it both ways.  I usually keep the sediment, unless I’ve accidentally overcooked it and it’s tipping into burnt.

From here you can let it cook and use it in liquid state (like in these brown butter snickerdoodles), or chill it to a solid and use it (like in these brown butter cinnamon chip oatmeal cookies or brown butter bourbon cherry crisp).

How to brown butter

1. Place a pan on medium heat.  As much as possible, make sure it’s a pan that conducts heat evenly.  I like to cut my butter up into smaller, even chunks that will melt faster, to speed up the process and also so some of the butter doesn’t cook faster than other parts.  Use a spatula to gently move things around while it’s melting, so certain areas don’t burn.
2. Once it’s melted, it will start foaming pretty intensely and loudly.  Occasionally stir gently as the milk solids start to cook out and the white foam goes away.  If it’s popping and actually shooting hot butter at you, turn your heat down a little.
3. It’s going to progress from a brighter yellow color to eventually more golden-y to a beautiful caramel brown.  Don’t take your eye off the ball here, it can burn pretty fast.
4. Once it develops that beautiful nutty aroma and you can see those brown bits on the bottom, remove from the heat.  Pour into a container to set.  Some people will tell you to try and make sure that the brown sediment at the bottom of the pan doesn’t come with you…I actually like it so I keep the sediment, it’s your call (unless it’s tipping into burnt).
5. Use in liquid state or put it in the fridge to solidify for baking.

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