Elevate The Flavor Of Brown Butter By Adding Nuts

We know that butter is delicious. But brown butter takes the spread to a whole new level, adding in flavors of sweetness and nuttiness as the condiment turns warm, caramel-colored, and slightly bubbly in your pan. When you brown your butter, you're cooking its milk proteins and releasing tons of new flavors, as well as allowing its water content to evaporate. The result is a delicious-smelling kitchen and a tasty liquid you can pour over entrees or refrigerate to use later. But what can make brown butter taste even better? Adding in nuts.

It's no surprise that this combination works well since you're already bringing out a nutty flavor when you toast your butter. But when you cook the two together, you'll enhance that element even more and add a rich, silky fat to your nuts. The final product is a yummy, versatile sauce that you can use for both sweet and savory recipes. Try pouring your nut-infused brown butter over pasta, fish, and pancakes, or refrigerate it to spread on toast, biscuits, and quick breads. Or, let the nuts cool and stir them in the batter for chocolate chip cookies, place them on charcuterie boards, or eat them as a snack.

Brown butter (plus the nut addition) may sound a little complicated, but the whole thing can be made in 10 minutes or less on the stove. First, you'll want to melt the butter in a pan, then add in your nuts. Feel free to also include any extra flavoring ingredients you like, such as salt, chili flakes, or sage. You can use any type of nut you prefer, but pecans, cashews, shelled pistachios, and almonds are popular choices. Then brown the butter, which means stirring it until it starts looking caramel-colored and smelling heavenly. Simultaneously, your nuts will get nice and toasty, and you can pull the whole thing off the stove after just a few minutes.

If you'd rather use the nuts on their own and not part of a buttery sauce, you can pull them out of the liquid at this point. As an alternative, you can roast them in the oven once they've been tossed in brown butter — for this method, make the latter on the stove, then put your coated nuts in the oven on a baking sheet until they become golden brown. Whichever dish you add them to, taking the time to combine these two ingredients will give you an extra dose of warm, cozy flavors.