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Brown Butter Dirty Chai Cupcakes

Brown butter dirty chai cupcakes with espresso-chai flavor and a fluffy brown butter chai frosting. Moist crumb, lightly spiced top, and a golden-brown finish from browned butter.
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Servings: 18 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 340
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For dirty chai cupcakes
  • 1.75 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 0.5 tsp baking soda
  • 2 tsp chai spice blend
  • 1 tsp espresso powder
  • 0.5 tsp salt
  • 0.75 cup unsalted butter browned and cooled
  • 1 cup brown sugar packed
  • 2 eggs
  • 0.33 cup strongly brewed espresso cooled
  • 0.5 cup buttermilk
  • 1 tsp vanilla
For brown butter chai frosting
  • 0.75 cup butter browned
  • 3 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 tbsp milk
  • 1 tsp espresso powder
  • 1 tsp chai spice blend

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Brown the butter and bake the cupcakes
  1. Brown 3/4 cup butter and cool, until it turns golden-brown with a nutty aroma. Set aside to cool so it won’t cook the batter.
  2. Brown the remaining butter for the frosting and cool it completely. Keep the texture pourable so it creams smoothly.
  3. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line cupcake tins with liners. Place the pan on a sheet pan for easy handling.
  4. Whisk together all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, chai spice blend, espresso powder, and salt in a bowl. Whisk until evenly speckled.
  5. Beat the cooled browned butter and packed brown sugar until thick and glossy. Beat in the eggs one at a time.
  6. Mix in strongly brewed espresso, buttermilk, and vanilla until smooth and cohesive. Stop mixing as soon as the batter looks uniform.
  7. Fold the flour mixture into the wet ingredients just until no dry streaks remain. Scrape the bottom to avoid hidden flour.
  8. Divide batter into liners, filling each about 2/3 full. Tap the pan once to settle the batter.
  9. Bake at 350°F for 18-20 minutes, until the tops spring back and a toothpick comes out mostly clean. Let the cupcakes rest in the pan briefly before moving.
  10. Cool cupcakes completely before frosting. This prevents the frosting from melting and sliding.
Make frosting and finish
  1. Beat browned butter for the frosting until creamy, then gradually add powdered sugar. Continue until the frosting looks fluffy.
  2. Mix in milk, espresso powder, and chai spice blend until smooth and pipeable. Adjust consistency with a tiny extra splash of milk if needed.
  3. Pipe frosting onto cooled cupcakes in swirls. Aim for a thick layer that covers the dome.
  4. Dust the tops with espresso powder and chai spice blend. Finish with a light, even sprinkle so the speckled look shows.

Notes

Pro tip: brown the butter until it smells nutty and the solids are toasted brown, then cool fully before mixing to avoid a greasy frosting. Store cupcakes covered in the refrigerator up to 3 days; bring to room temperature for the best texture. Freezing is okay for unfrosted cupcakes for up to 2 months, thaw overnight in the fridge and frost after thawing. For a dairy-light option, use lactose-free milk in the frosting and lactose-free buttermilk (or make buttermilk with lactose-free milk) so flavor stays close.