Food and Recipes Fats Butter 16 Ways to Make Everyday Dishes Better with Brown Butter By Marissa Wu Marissa Wu Marissa Wu is an Editorial Fellow and Southern transplant by way of San Francisco, Boston, and Paris, France. She writes about anything and everything as it pertains to the South, but mostly home, food, and the occasional garden stories. Recipe reviews are a particular pleasure, as well as discovering the latest home trends.When not editing and producing articles or updating the homepage, she's trying new Southern Living recipes, jolting along in her manual transmission car, Fitz; hammering out a manuscript on her 1930s Royal Aristocrat typewriter, Georgie; and making film photographs with her Rolleiflex, Cecil.Marissa graduated from Boston University with a degree in journalism and a minor in French Studies. She still can't follow a football conversation but hopes her cheese straws make up for it. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Updated on November 2, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Photographer: Isaac Nunn, Prop Stylist: Julia Bayless, Food Stylist: Ruth Blackburn Browned butter is the secret ingredient your favorite recipes just might be missing. So simple and often overlooked, it has the power to elevate your everyday recipes, sweet or savory. When it comes to making brown butter, there's nothing much to it—grab your favorite butter and saucepan and watch it carefully on the stove. Then, throw the delicious concoction into one of these recipes that rely on brown butter, and you're sure to be impressed. From our Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies and Brown Butter Blondies, to savory fare like Pumpkin Ravioli with Sage Brown Butter, you'll find that it really does belong everywhere. So get to browning and get ready for recipe requests from all of your guests to roll in. 01 of 16 Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies Jennifer Causey Recipe: Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies If chocolate chip cookies are always sure to be a hit, then you better believe this brown butter version will fly right off the table. 02 of 16 Best Brown Butter Blondies Victor Protasio; Food Stying: Rishon Hanners; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis Recipe: Best Brown Butter Blondies Think of these as a giant chocolate chip cookie with even better butter. 03 of 16 Brown Butter Snickerdoodles Photographer: Isaac Nunn, Prop Stylist: Julia Bayless, Food Stylist: Ruth Blackburn Recipe: Brown Butter Snickerdoodles Warm cinnamon meets the rich flavor of brown butter in a rendition of everyone's favorite sugar cookie. 04 of 16 Pecan Pie Cake with Brown Butter Frosting Photographer: Antonis Achilleos, Prop Stylist: Kay Clarke Food Stylist: Rishon Hanners Recipe: Pecan Pie Cake with Brown Butter Frosting Now, you'll never have to choose between pie and cake ever again. The tender cake and pecan pie filling are swathed in a generous layer of Brown Butter Frosting, and guests will be coming back for seconds. 05 of 16 Brown Butter Cornbread Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Brown Butter Cornbread Elevate the humble cornbread with the addition of some nutty brown butter. Serve alongside a pot of chili for a comforting meal. 06 of 16 Hummingbird Snack Cake with Brown Butter Frosting Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke Recipe: Hummingbird Snack Cake with Brown Butter Frosting A spin on the classic, this snack cake requires just one bowl and is slathered in Brown Butter Frosting for just the right mix of sweet and spice. 07 of 16 Mathew Rice's Brown Butter Snickerdoodles pinterest.com Recipe: Mathew Rice's Brown Butter Snickerdoodles Nashville chef Mathew Rice shares his snickerdoodle recipe. 08 of 16 Brown Butter-Maple-Pecan Blondies Linda Pugliese Recipe: Brown Butter-Maple-Pecan Blondies Turn your blondies up a notch with the addition of sweet maple syrup and crunchy pecans. 09 of 16 Lisa Cericola's Herbed Brown Butter Mashed Potatoes Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Margaret Monroe Dickey; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis Recipe: Lisa Cericola's Herbed Brown Butter Mashed Potatoes Our Senior Food Editor says these are required on her Thanksgiving table. Once you get a taste, they'll be on yours, too. 10 of 16 Butter Toffee-Pecan Layer Cake Greg DuPree Recipe: Butter Toffee-Pecan Layer Cake Warm toffee notes, creamy frosting, and nutty brown butter make this cake a sure hit. 11 of 16 Brown Butter Sweet Potato Pie Hector Sanchez Recipe: Brown Butter Sweet Potato Pie Brown butter lends the well-loved sweet potato pie extra dimension and depth. 12 of 16 Butter Pecan Layer Cake with Brown Butter Frosting Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Mary Clayton Carl; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Butter Pecan Layer Cake with Brown Butter Frosting Three layers of tender pecan cake meet nutty brown butter frosting—ideal for every birthday party and the Thanksgiving sideboard. 13 of 16 Grits and Greens with Brown Butter Hot Sauce Iain Bagwell Recipe: Grits and Greens with Brown Butter Hot Sauce Proof that brown butter belongs everywhere. 14 of 16 Amanda Mack's Apple-Almond Spice Cake with Brown Butter Frosting Gabriela Herman Recipe: Amanda Mack's Apple-Almond Spice Cake with Brown Butter Frosting Pile this loaf cake high with apple chips and toasted almonds—but not before giving it a generous drizzle of icing. 15 of 16 Bourbon-Chocolate Cake with Browned Buttercream Frosting Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop styling: Lydia Pursell Recipe: Bourbon-Chocolate Cake with Browned Buttercream Frosting Bourbon, chocolate, and brown butter come together in an irresistible combination. 16 of 16 Chocolate-Zucchini Cake Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Chocolate-Zucchini Cake Rich, dense chocolate cake gets a moisture boost from plenty of zucchini. The whole thing is topped with crunchy pistachios punctuating the layer of brown butter frosting. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit