Brown Butter Vanilla Glaze

While I love a good buttercream frosting, there is just something about a glaze that does the trick. Plus, it’s so versatile. You can use it to dip, drizzle, or even smear. Not to mention, the way it hardens so it’s still soft on the inside but there is a “crust” of sorts to the outside. Ugh, I love her.

On a random note, I’m not a carrot cake gal. I recently concluded that my main qualm with a carrot cake is the nuts inside (and sometimes dried fruit - YUCK). It’ll be a rare day when you see me adding nuts inside of my baked goods. That being said, I love the spice of a carrot cake and so I thought, let me try a spice cake but I want something a little lighter than a cream cheese frosting. Et voila, this glaze was born.

There is something about browning butter that adds a deeper richness and flavor to a baked good, where you want to give it some of the nutty (but not) saltiness. By browning the butter in this glaze, you cut some of the sweetness of the powdered sugar, with a deep richness in the butter. Plus, it gives the most aesthetically pleasing little specs that pair well with your favorite spice cake, chocolate cake, or really any treat.

Yields: approx. 2 cups

Ingredients:

2 ½ tbsp browned butter, melted
1 ⅛ cups confectioners' sugar
2 tbsp water
1 ½ tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

Place your butter in a small pot over medium-high heat. Swirl the butter every few seconds. You see the milk solids start to separate and rise to the top (it looks like white fluff). As it cooks the solids will start to fall to the bottom of the pot and brown. Keep a close eye on your pot to prevent burning!
Once your butter is browned, remove from heat and allow to cool for a few minutes at room temperature
In a bowl, add your browned butter, water, and vanilla extract. Then sift in your powdered sugar and whisk to combine.
Enjoy!

I want to see all the ways you use this delicious glaze! Tag @accentgolden on social so I can see all your bakes!