Grandma's Browned Butter Icing 4 Ingredients!

HI Bakers,

You need this frosting in your life! My grandma called it Burned Butter Icing, and it's been around nearly 100 years. And it’s time you learned how to make it.

With just 4 ingredients: butter, powdered sugar, milk and vanilla, it couldn't be easier. This is an easy, eyeball-it kind of recipe that’s shockingly good. What makes it so special is the rich caramel flavor that doesn't require melting sugar! The hardest part? Figuring out when the butter is browned enough.  Use it on spice cake, donuts, cookies—or let’s be honest, just eat it with a spoon. (We used to peel it off the cake and eat it like candy ribbons!) It’s the ultimate fall frosting. I hope you love it as much as I do! Enjoy ~Carolyn

Grandma’s Browned Butter Icing (for Donuts)

1/4 cup butter

2 cups powdered sugar

4-5 tablespoons milk (or more to achieve a thickness to dip the donut)

1/4 teaspoon vanilla

To brown the butter, melt it in a medium-sized saucepan and continue cooking over medium heat until butter solids brown and it smells like caramel. Stir or swirl to prevent burning on the bottom. The foam on top may stay light colored, but the solids at the bottom may be darker! You should remove the pan from the heat as soon as it achieves a deep golden color and smells like caramel. This will take about 5 minutes, depending on your stove and the temperature of the butter. Add 2 cups of powdered sugar and vanilla extract. The mix will be the texture of dry crumbs, and this is what you want. Next, add small amounts of milk to achieve the icing thickness you desire. I like to dip my donuts, so I want the consistency of thick honey. Sprinkle immediately with sprinkles or spices if you want to give donuts a festive and pretty look.

To frost a cake with this recipe, double the amounts of butter, sugar, and vanilla. Next, add milk one tablespoon at a time to achieve a thicker frosting than the donut icing. Beat well until smooth and creamy.

Browned Butter Frosting (for cake) Follow the above directions with the amounts listed below.

1/2 cup butter

4 cups powdered sugar

2-3 tablespoons milk (or more to achieve desired thickness)

1/2 teaspoon vanilla