Brown Butter Cupcake Brownies

I have a lovely cousin in the U.K. (hi Jules!) and every so often she sends me scrumptious recipes that she finds on the web. A few weeks ago she sent me this link and frankly, if you are going to put the words cupcake and brownie in the same sentence then you are guaranteed to get my attention...I had to try the recipe immediately! It was so darn delicious that I simply had to share it with all of you too.

This is another one of those recipes that should come with a warning for all the chocaholics out there! But actually, what I really love is that these cupcake brownies are dark and not sickly sweet, and one brownie is sure to be enough to satisfy you. I adapted the recipe slightly by adding pecan nuts (they were delicious) and if you have a look at the original recipe you will see that I have tweaked the method just a little as well. I like the idea of baking the brownies in cupcake cases but you can make them straight in the pan too. Simply butter and flour your muffin tray as the original recipe suggests.

If these babies do not satisfy your chocolate cravings then nothing will! My thanks go to Sara over at Sprouted Kitchen for letting me share this gem. Please pop over to her beautiful blog and say hi!

Cook's notes: The recipe can be made as below or doubled to make approximately 15 cupcakes. (Any extra cupcakes can be frozen.)

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BROWN BUTTER CUPCAKE BROWNIES

Makes 8 

1 cup castor sugar

3/4 cup cocoa

pinch of salt

100g butter

1/2 tbsp water

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 large eggs

1 1/2 tsp instant coffee

1 tsp boiling water

1/3 cup flour

1/2 cup chocolate chips

3/4 cup pecan nuts, roughly chopped

Step 1.) Preheat your oven to 160°C. Grease a muffin tray or line with 8 cupcake cases. 

Step 2.) Combine the castor sugar, cocoa and salt in a bowl. Set aside. 

Step 3.) Melt the butter in a saucepan over a low heat. Keep stirring it and allow it to bubble for a few minutes until it starts turning golden and has a nutty aroma. Take the butter off the heat and add the sugar mixture straight away. Add the water and vanilla extract and mix well. Allow to cool for a few minutes. 

Step 4.) Add the eggs to the cooled mixture one at a time, stirring well after each addition. Combine the coffee and boiling water and add this to the mixture. Add the flour and stir well (the mixture will be very thick). 

Step 5.) Stir in the chocolate chips and pecan nuts. Spoon the thick batter into the muffin pan or cupcake cases if using. The mixture will not rise very much at all so you can fill them almost to the top. 

Step 6.) Bake the brownies for 15-20 minutes. They should be set on top but soft in the middle. Leave to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing. Serve warm with cream or ice cream.