Cream Cheese Frosting with Brown Butter and Bourbon

Fantastic! One of the few recipes on here that I am not tempted to change in any way! I brown butter for my cookies, but I'd never thought of doing it for frosting and I was pleasantly surprised. I used some of my boyfriend's 18 year Elijah Craig bourbon (shhhh!!) and it was heavenly. Definitely don't use something cheap! I used this to frost a carrot cake and it was a perfect combination. Just a tip for first time butter-browners: make sure you have extra butter on hand just in case you burn the first batch!

Amazing! I made this as is and it was delish, but I needed more frosting, so I added another 8 oz. cream cheese and a little more burbon, and used it on the Carrot Cake III from this site. Rave reviews :) Thanks for a fabulous recipe metread!

Truly scrumptious! Silky texture. Beautiful color. Excellent recipe.

This was by far the best frosting I ever had! Finally a frosting that is not so overpoweringly sweet or greasy! I never used browned butter before and really enjoyed the flavor! I used soy cream cheese and added 1 teaspoon organic powdered vanilla beans. I subbed the heavy cream with non dairy creamer. I frosted cream cheese pound cake (from AR that I added bourbon to as well) This recipe moves right to the front of the line in my recipe box!

So good I actually posted the recipe on Facebook! I don't normally like frosting, but this has a much more complex flavor due to the brown butter--and is very creamy. I made 2 versions: Only changes I made were to use vanilla extract (1 to 1 1/2 tsp.) and slightly less bourbon (personal preference). I also omitted the heavy cream and reduced the sugar slightly--just added to taste. If you want a non-alcoholic version just omit the whiskey (add milk/cream instead) and add a couple drops of maple extract for a delicious alternative flavor. This is not a very stiff frosting, but would work well for sheet cakes or cupcakes. I will definitely be making this again!!

Unheard of good!! I absolutely love this recipe. I had to use vanilla extract since I was using the recipe to decorate with and I didn't want the beans to show up in the frosting, but I can only imagine that the vanilla beans would make it that much better. I was really worried that the frosting would be flecked with dark butter solids and really dark colored but it did not turn out like that at all. It was consistent in color and a very light beige..and oh so good! Edit: I have made this several times now and the one time it was too sweet was when I did not sift the powdered sugar. That stuff settles and it really needs to be sifted (or at least shake the container before measuring to get air into it) to ensure that you don't use too much. Another thing, I was recently out of Maker's Mark and the closest thing I had to bourbon was Jack Daniels. From now on I will only use the Jack because it had an even better flavor (if that is possible).

Very yummy! You could put this on cardboard and it would make it delicious!

OUT OF THIS WORLD. The brown butter gave it such a heavenly flavour and the bourbon added to the exquisite oomph factor. I used this to go with 'Banana Cupcakes' recipe also from this site. What a match! Thank you metread for this recipe and for suggesting it to me yesterday on the buzz. I can't wait to try this with carrot cakes and other spiced cakes.

I have made this recipe twice and received rave revies both times! I used Crown Royal (and used approx 1.5 times the amount called for as my mom and best friend LOVE Crown). First time I followed the recipe exactly (but did use vanilla extract as was listed as an alternative). My mom and neighbors enjoyed but asked for more Crown to be added (which we played with since I made cupcakes and I iced as they sampled. Made mini cupcakes for a party and they were all gone before the party ended! There were some arguments over who got the extra icing to take home! A huge hit, a permanent addition to the recipe box! Thanks!

this is the best frosting i've ever had. this was absolutely perfect on a carrot cake. be sure to watch the butter closely (and have extra) because it is easy to burn. Also i've made this with brandy and it is just as good.

Ok- my husband says this is his favorite frosting. I added 2 X the amount of bourbon and still thought it could use some tweeking.

Amazing what a difference the browned butter makes! This frosting is soooo yummy!! I added a bit more bourbon to my recipe. I also ended up needing a little more icing so I just added 4ozs cream cheesse, 1 cup confectioner's sugar, a tablespoon of heavy cream, and another 1/2 oz of bourbon. I used this icing for Sam's Famous Carrot Cake recipe. It tastes amazing after chilling the cake and icing overnight!

Absolutely the best icing ever! Easy to make and seems to make enough to frost two nine inch layers. Was certainly enough for the 8 X 12 cake I made. You won't go wrong with this cream cheese frosting.

Wonderful frosting. Great on carrot cake, cinnamon bread, just about anything!

i was so excited about this recipe after reading all the wonderful reviews but after going thru all the trouble of making it i was extremely disappointed. i followed the recipe exactly and it ended up tasting just like a bowl of sugar. no nutty flavor or bourbon taste at all. it was not worth all the hard work that went into it.

Just made this icing for my dad's birthday cake, because he is a bourbon man! Trying the mixture before the icing sugar is a bad idea, don't be fooled! It will taste better once the icing sugar is in! The only variation we made to this icing was adding 2 tbsp of fresh/pure maple syrup we just bought this week! The affect is a sortilege flavoured icing, (sortilege is canadian maple whisky made in quebec) Delightful! Will be spreading it on a butter pecan/spice cake!

Great recipe. I used Knob Creek and it turned out fantastic.

Nice! Used Nielsen N Massey bourbon vanilla instead of the vanilla bean and the whiskey. Very nice. Smooth and spreadable. Perfect frosting for carrot cake!

extremely sweet, has too strong of a bourbon flavor which took away from the brown butter. next time no bourbon more butter and cream cheese.

I made this frosting for applesauce/spice cake and it was DELICIOUS. Even my husband loved it ... and he doesn't like frosting. I did end up adding an additional cup of confectionary sugar and I doubled the bourbon. Fabulous!!

It has a good flavor but I think I would make more browned butter to increase it's flavor a bit more. I was serving cake to children so I opted not to add the bourbon although I will try that another time. Definitely a keeper recipe, thank you metread! I used it on a banana cake recipe (from this site too) and it was really good!

This icing was amazing! I added a touch more whiskey to the recipe and paired it with "Sam's Famous Carrot Cake" from this site... it was so good that I have hard time walking past the remaining piece without tasting the icing again. Everyone loved it and I made some extra so my grandmother took it home to eat on graham crackers as a snack. I was happy to see it go, it saves me from eating it all in one sitting!

This is probably the best frosting I've ever made. I don't typically like frosting very much, but I could eat this stuff by the spoonful. I used salted butter because that's all I had. Browning the salted butter over med-low for a full 15 minutes, gave it a salted caramel taste. A 1/2 ounce of bourbon isn't very much, so it definitely doesn't taste boozy. I used Bulleit bourbon, and I think it just added to that caramel taste. Followed the recipe exactly, except that I added the vanilla bean to the butter while I was browning. So. Dang. Good. Perhaps those who didn't think it made enough of a difference for all the trouble didn't brown their butter long enough. Keep it low and slow and stir constantly; set the timer for 15 minutes and don't give up!

I LOVED this recipe! It was easy to prepare, was delicious and paired well with a gingerbread cake I made.

Love this recipe! I make it all the time for cakes, and people always rave about it! I also thin it with milk and use it as a glaze for my carrot cake pancakes! Make sure to use a smooth bourbon, since whiskey really does make it hot tasting. The first time I tried it, I used it on a banana cake. The frosting was stringy and was not pipeable. I altered the technique for the recipe based on my Joy of Cooking...I did not alter the ingredients. If you allow the browned butter to cool slightly and then cut it into cold cream cheese in the food processor, you can actually obtain a decorator-worthy frosting.

I added a bit more bourbon and it was heavenly! I've put in on carrot cake and my dark chocolate cake .... not sure which one is better. I strongly suggest spending the extra money on the vanilla bean. I've tried it both ways and the real bean is much better.

yes one sub. tsp vanilla for bean. So yummy, I waved my wand to remove all the calories and cholesterol, I suggest the same for all of you!

I left out the bourbon with no negative effects. Frosting was outstanding! Everybody wants the recipe!

Great flavor! Glad I tried it.

This was so tasty. I put in on top of apple spice cupcakes and it was a huge hit. Will definitely be making this one again... A LOT!!!

I made this to frost a red velvet cake for Christmas. It is a delicious frosting and worked well with red velvet. I made it according to the recipe at first, substituting extract for the vanilla bean and using Jack Daniels because that’s what I had in. The flavor was excellent, but I wanted a thicker consistency, so I added another 8 oz. of cream cheese and another 1/2 oz. of bourbon. It was a nice, thick consistency for a filling between the layers and for piping. The changes also lessened the sweetness a bit, while maintaining the wonderful flavor.

delicious for what it is - but i'm not terribly a fan of over sweetened cream cheese frosting. Sad panda. I should have cut the sugar in half!

Wonderful flavor. I actually used maple syrup instead of bourbon. The cooked butter and maple syrup make a great combination.

This is a lovely marriage of a brown butter and cream cheese frosting. Very rich and nutty with a little tang. I used Kraken Spiced Rum instead of bourbon and a tsp of vanilla rather than the vanilla pod. Make sure it follow the step to let it cool, that will give you more control on consistency will adding sugar (a lesson I learned the hard way from a similar recipe :) )

This is a very tasty frosting, but lacks the cream cheese flavor I was hoping for. Regardless of that - this frosting was very yummy in it's own right. I did not add the cream because the consistancy was fine without it. The color was beautiful and the vanilla bean added not only a fine taste but an interesting look with all the little vanilla specks! I doubled the bourbon which is probably why I didnt need the cream. Great frosting, but still looking for a cream cheese frosting that has a cream cheese taste. I WILL be using this recipe again though.

Amazing frosting! I didn’t have vanilla bean so I used extract. I ended up only using 3 cups of sugar. Delicious! And the perfect filling for the ginger cookies I make. I served them with a small glass of barley wine.

Superb frosting! I made it exactly as written, except I doubled the recipe. I used this on Sam's famous carrot cake from this site, and it was perfect. A silky, complex frosting, that was perfectly sweet. I made this cake and frosting for a wedding, and it was a huge hit! Thank you so much. For the pine person who reviewed this negatively, my guess is that you didn't brown the butter properly, as that can be tricky.

OMG! You could put this on anything or eat it with a spoon! I generally don’t like frosting but this is amazing. I didn’t have vanilla bean so I had to use vanilla extract (I used 1 TBSP). My husband and I love our whisky but our favorite is the grocery store brand (yep, you should try it). Si

This recipe is fantastic. I made the banana cake recipe from my Southern Living cookbook (which has a smidge of bourbon in it) and was looking for a cream cheese frosting to pair with it. This was a perfect fit. I don't like my frosting too thick and this covered a three layer cake with the right thickness for my tastes (1/4 to 1/2 inch thick). If you love a really thick layer of frosting you might want to multiply the recipe accordingly. I bet it would even be good with a coconut cake. Yum!

Meh. I suppose this depends on whether you're planning on using this frosting to decorate with or as an icing, but it required either 1) significant chilling, or 2) additional confectioner's sugar to be usable for piping. Maybe I did it wrong, but the complexity of flavor others were raving about was not there for me. Onward.

This is absolutely delicious! I paired this frosting with "Sam's Famous Carrot Cake" recipe and voila... the perfect match. If it's a little too sweet for your liking, apply less sugar or less frosting to your cake! Simply delightful!