brown sugar frosting

I've been in a bit of a choco-vanilla rut lately, and other flavors keep catching my roving eye. When I spotted these chocolate chip cookie dough cupcakes, I started drooling a little. (It's a family talent. Ask my dad.) Then I counted the 6+ sticks of butter and 6+ cups of sugar, and my arteries hardened a little. I decided to borrow just the brown sugar frosting recipe and pair it with dark chocolate cupcakes.

Wow. I mean, wow.



It's a particularly sweet frosting, and the grittiness of the brown sugar comes through on your tongue. Flour - uncooked flour, which I've never seen in a frosting recipe - tempers the sweetness, and the flour/butter/brown sugar combo is really reminiscent of first-stage chocolate chip cookie dough (obviously, no accident!). It's a really nice change from vanilla frosting, and the ecru color is warm and appealing.

I've only used this frosting with chocolate cupcakes, but I could see it complementing something spicy/fruity - apple-cinnamon? pumpkin? - something fall-flavored.

Highly recommended!

Brown Sugar Frosting (modified slightly)
Makes enough to frost about 24 cupcakes

3 sticks unsalted butter
3/4 cup (5 1/4 ounces) light brown sugar
3 1/2 cups (14 ounces) powdered sugar
1 cup (4 1/4 ounces) flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon vanilla

Beat together butter and brown sugar until light and creamy. Add powdered sugar and beat until smooth. Beat in flour and salt. On low speed, mix in the milk and vanilla, then increase speed to medium and beat until smooth and well-blended.

Comments

Aaron John said…
I've never seen flour in a frosting recipe ever!! Very different. Great photos!

Would you mind checking out my blog? :D http://ajscookingsecrets.blogspot.com/
Sophia said…
These cupcakes really look great!! They're perfect for a birthday! The only time of year that I bake cupcakes is Valentine's Day. I make these Be My Valentine Cupcakes for my special someone! I think I'll make yours for my niece's birthday! Thanks for sharing!
Amanda said…
Ok, based on your recommendation, I am going to try this!!

Be blessed-
Amanda

GREAT pics too!!
DC grasshopper (KJ) said…
Can you have a post about icing? How you pipe it on, how you choose the head, etc? Your cupcakes are beautiful -- these and the transformers -- but I'm intimidated and fear a total gloopy disaster. How do you get the icing into the bag? How do you clean it up without wasting too much? So many icing questions!!
--east coast grasshopper
Jami said…
@DC Grasshopper - what a great idea! I will totally do a post about frosting. If I can convince Josh to be my photographer, I can take more "during" pictures. Coming soon!