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Brown Butter Glaze for Cakes and More!

Thanks for sharing!

Top your favorite desserts off with this sweet brown sugar glaze.  It goes so well with cakes, cookies, cinnamon rolls and more.

Hand holding dessert plate with a piece of peach sheet cake drizzled with brown butter glaze.

This glaze will take your baked goods and give them a nice warm hug.  The nuttiness that comes out when you brown butter is really apparent when you use it for something simple like this glaze.  

It makes it feel so much warmer and it is really simple!  It was a perfect finish to this brown sugar nectarine sheet cake. 

browned butter in enameled cast iron skillet.

It just takes about 10 minutes to get the butter to a nice golden-brown color.  Then you stir in powdered sugar, vanilla and enough milk to get your desired consistency.

It really is that easy.  This is a perfect glaze for oatmeal cookies.  

saucepan of thick, rich brown butter glaze ready to be drizzled over cake

MiMi made something similar for a get together we had a few years ago.  She brought a three or four dozen cookies to a get together with probably 15 people in attendance.

She didn’t leave with any.  People could not help themselves.  The cookies were good, but the glaze put them over the top!

What is brown butter?

Brown butter is butter that has been gently cooked until some of the milk solids are toasted and browned. It has a nutty aroma and a deeper flavor. Due to the cooking process, some of the moisture is evaporated so it has a lower moisture content than regular butter.

A couple of more icing favorites

Fudgy sweetened condensed milk icing is made quickly in a saucepan and with only three ingredients, this icing is hard to beat! It is so fudgy and has a nice sheen. 

 Maple brown butter glaze combines the depth of flavor of brown butter with the warmth of maple syrup. It’s perfect for topping cinnamon rolls, coffee cakes, bundt cakes and more!

Smooth, sweet and creamy, this caramel frosting is easy to make and is a perfect topper to butter cake, chocolate cake, banana cake and more!

Did you make this great recipe? Please leave a review in the recipe card below!

Yield: 24 Servings

Brown Butter Glaze

Hand holding dessert plate with a piece of peach sheet cake drizzled with brown butter glaze.

Top your favorite desserts off with this sweet brown sugar glaze.  It goes so well with cakes, cookies, cinnamon rolls and more.

Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2-4 Tablespoons whole milk

Instructions

  1. In thick bottomed sauce pan over medium heat, melt butter. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally for about 10 minutes or until golden brown.
  2. Remove from heat.
  3. Stir in powdered sugar, vanilla and 2 Tablespoons of milk. Continue to add milk until you reach your desired consistency.
  4. Drizzle over cake or cookies and allow to set before stacking. 

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Nutrition Information:

Yield:

24

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 72Total Fat: 4gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 10mgSodium: 32mgCarbohydrates: 9gFiber: 0gSugar: 9gProtein: 0g

All nutritional information is estimated and will depend on the exact ingredients you use.

Did you make this recipe?

I'd love to see it! Share a picture on Instagram or Pinterest and tag me @carleecooks to let me know how it went!

Top your favorite desserts off with this sweet brown sugar glaze. It goes so well with cakes, cookies, cinnamon rolls and more.

Thanks for sharing!

Anna

Monday 26th of December 2022

Wow, this was so good. The brown butter flavor comes through so well! I did cut the sugar a little bit, and still found it plenty sweet. I used it to top a spiced apple cake, it was phenomenal. Everyone had seconds. This is my new secret weapon, it's going on everything.

Carlee

Monday 26th of December 2022

Yay! That makes me so happy!

Christine

Thursday 10th of November 2022

I was looking for a brown butter glaze for a pound cake and happened upon your recipe, I decided to make it, I already had everything, I'm glad I did, this turned out beautifully and the flavor is wonderful, I will make again

Carlee

Friday 11th of November 2022

I am so glad you liked it!

NewMrsAdventures

Monday 14th of September 2015

This looks amazing!!

Kathleen

Monday 14th of September 2015

Your frostings look amazing. Thanks for your lovely ideas shared on Fridays Blog Booster Party #23 Kathleen

Carlee

Monday 14th of September 2015

Thank you so much for a lovely way to share!

Sandy Sandmeyer

Sunday 13th of September 2015

This glaze sounds so good and it's a great time of the year for it. Thanks for sharing at the #AnythingGoes Link Party.

Carlee

Monday 14th of September 2015

I think so too, it just adds that little extra warmth to whatever you put it on! Thanks for stopping by!

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