Gluten Free Butter Pecan Cupcakes
Buttery, toasty with roasted pecans, and just the treat to get you through the week!
Servings: 24 Cupcakes
Calories: 350kcal
Equipment
- 2 Cupcake trays
Ingredients
For the cupcakes:
- 1 Cup browned salted butter instructions below
- 1 Cup white sugar
- 1/2 Cup brown sugar
- 5 large eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 Cup buttermilk
- 1/2 Cup sour cream
- 2 1/2 Cup gluten free 1-1 flour mix with xanthan gum
- 1/2 Cup almond flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 1/2 Cups finely chopped toasted pecans instructions below
For the frosting:
- 1 Cup browned salted butter, chilled instructions below
- 1 Cup salted butter room temperature
- 8 oz cream cheese room temperature
- 3 Cups powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3/4 Cup ground toasted pecans instructions below
Instructions
- First, brown the butter (for both the frosting and the cupcakes - 2 cups). In a large saucepan over medium-low heat, melt all of the butter and stir constantly until melted and simmering. Continue to simmer, on medium heat, for at least a few minutes, until the popping and hissing sounds have completely subsided (this is the water in the butter burning off – you’ll know once it’s silent). Continue to cook, stirring constantly, until the butter reaches a deep amber color and smells nutty or caramelly. Once it reaches that color, immediately take off the burner and let sit until cool (or pop in the fridge to cool faster). You can separate out 1 cup of the browned butter (be sure to scrape up the brown bits at the bottom!) and pour into a large mixing bowl for the cupcakes, then continue to chill the remaining cup in the fridge for the frosting.
- Next, toast the pecans. Preheat oven to 350° Fahrenheit. Spread whole, unsalted pecans on a cookie sheet and pop in the oven for 10-15 minutes until the nuts are a bit darker, dry, and smell fragrant (be careful not to let them burn!). Remove and let cool, then chop into small bits.
- Keep the oven on, and grease two 12-cupcake pans with either butter or cooking spray, or line with paper cupcake cups. In the large mixing bowl with the slightly cooled browned butter, add in the white and brown sugar and cream together with an electric mixer. Add in the vanilla, buttermilk, sour cream, and eggs and continue to beat until fully combined. Dump in all of the dry ingredients (flour, almond flour, baking powder, salt) and stir together until combined. Fold in the 2 1/2 cups of finely chopped toasted pecans, until combined. Spoon batter into lined cupcake pans (should be nearly to all of the way full). Bake for 18-20 minutes or until a skewer or toothpick inserted into the middle of a cupcake comes out clean. Let cool completely before frosting (or frosting will melt).
- While the cupcakes are cooling, make the frosting. In a large clean mixing bowl, combine the chilled remaining browned butter with the plain, room temp, salted butter and cream cheese and beat with an electric mixer until fluffy. Add in the powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time, and vanilla, and continue to beat until smooth. Then, blitz up the remaining toasted pecan bits into a flour (do not blitz for too long or you'll end up with pecan butter). Add in the ground toasted pecans and beat until combined. Once cupcakes are cool, fill a piping back with frosting, or use a butterknife to slather frosting on cupcakes. And eat!