Brown Butter Oatmeal Scotchies Muffins

Browning butter is very much the "in" thing for bloggers and foodies to do. Everywhere I look, I'm seeing blog posts and recipes that call for brown butter. It's hard to argue why it is such a popular ingredient because it makes cookies/cake/muffins/treats taste ten times better than regular butter does. Since I do consider myself a foodie, I figure it's only appropriate for me to jump on the bandwagon; what better way to start than with these muffins?

If you've ever had Oatmeal Scotchies before, you know how delicious the cookies smell and taste. These muffins are inspired by Oatmeal Scotchies' ingredients and flavors. The key ingredients in the scrumptious cookies are butterscotch and oatmeal--bet you couldn't guess that based on the name, now could you? The oatmeal provides some texture and hearty tastes, while the butterscotch chips add sweet, caramel-like flavors. Like the cookies, these muffins definitely don't skimp on either the oatmeal or butterscotch.

To make these muffins even more special and tasty (and to satisfy my inner foodie diva by trying the newest baking trend), I replaced the melted butter with brown butter. There is very little difference in how you prepare melted butter and brown butter, but the difference in flavor is extraordinary. To brown butter, you simply melt the butter and then continue to let it "cook" over the heat. This transforms the butter into a amber liquid that will give your entire kitchen a warming aroma. After the butter reaches the appropriate stage of browning (read below for more detailed instructions), you let it cool as you would regular melted butter and proceed with the recipe as usual. For something so simple, the end results are phenomenal.

Just like black and white is very "in" for this spring season (I hope you noticed that I used black and white liners-these muffins are so trendy), browning butter is also all of the rage. For any of you who are Oatmeal Scotchies fans, love trying new cooking and baking methods in the kitchen, or just want to be up-to-date on the latest baking craze, definitely give these muffins a try.

Brown Butter Oatmeal Scotchies Muffins (adapted from Six Sisters' Stuff)
(12-15 muffins)

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup old fashioned oats
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, browned and cooled*
1 1/2 heaping cups Chobani Non Fat Vanilla Greek Yogurt
1/4 cup fat free milk
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 cup butterscotch chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line standard muffin tin with liners. Set aside.

Add the flour, oats, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to a mixing bowl. Whisk ingredients together. Add the cooled browned butter, vanilla yogurt, milk, vanilla extract, and egg to dry ingredients. Mix ingredients together until combined, careful not to over mix. Fold in butterscotch chips.

Fill muffin cups to the top with batter. Bake for 20 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

*To prepare brown butter, place butter in a medium saucepan and heat over medium-low heat. Allow butter to melt completely. Once the butter is completely melted and begins to bubble, constantly whisk the butter. Continue to whisk until the butter becomes an amber, caramel color and you can smell the butter (it begins to smell like pancakes...weird I know). This will take about 5 minutes. Remove the butter from the heat and set aside. Allow to cool for about 20 minutes. Also note that there will be brown flecks in the butter-these are ok! This method for browning butter can be used in just about any recipe that calls for melted butter. Using browned butter enhances the butter flavor and adds a depth of flavor to the end dish.

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Nutritional Info
Servings Per Recipe: 15
Amount Per Serving:
Calories: 229.6
Total Fat: 10.9 g
Cholesterol: 29.1 mg
Sodium: 60.9 mg
Total Carbs: 32.7 g
Fiber: 1.5 g
Sugars: 19.1 g
Protein: 5.3 g

Pros:
-Very easy to make and no mixer required
-Mixed and baked in 30 minutes
-Great for breakfast, snack, or dessert
-Unique muffin recipe that tastes just like Oatmeal Scotchies

Cons:
-Browning butter can easily turn into burning butter, which you want to avoid. Make sure that you constantly stir the butter and do not let it sit on the heat for too long (once you begin to smell it, you know it is done)