Rolo Cupcakes with Brown Butter Frosting

I don’t know if you’re ready for the taste sensation that is Rolo cupcakes. We bake an ooey-gooey caramelly Rolo inside each moist dark chocolate cupcake, which is topped with brown butter icing and toasted pecans.

You are going to LOVE these Rolo cupcakes with brown butter frosting! I actually have Taste of the South magazine to thank for bringing this recipe into my life. It jumped out at me and as soon as I had my first bite, I know I’d be making these cupcakes for my grandkids one day.

We start with a Devil’s Food cake mix to make the dark chocolate cupcakes. Then we add a Rolo to each cupcake before baking, which makes sure each tender and moist cupcake has an ooey-gooey delicious caramel center. But wait, there’s more! We then top each Rolo cupcake with brown butter icing and toasted pecans. When I say it’s a flavor and texture sensation, I mean it! 

Have you ever had brown butter icing? I hadn’t ever had it until I made it for these and WOW, that stuff is good! It tastes like butter that has been slightly turned into butterscotch, then with more butter added in and some sugar to top it off. It’s the perfect sweet topping for our homemade chocolate cupcakes.

So below is the recipe… please don’t trip over yourself getting to the grocery store. Remember, I know we’re all excited, but I need you to walk – don’t run – because when we all walk we all get there safely. My inner kindergarten teacher is talking here again. I’m afraid she’s just telling y’all to walk so she can get to the Rolo aisle first…

Recipe Ingredients

• Devil’s Food cake mix
• Vegetable oil
• Vanilla extract
• Eggs
• Rolo chocolate
• Unsalted butter
• Powdered sugar

How to Make Rolo Cupcakes

 Place your cake mix, eggs, vanilla, and oil in a mixing bowl. 

Put cupcake papers in a muffin tin.

Divide your cupcake batter among the paper-lined muffin cups using a cookie scoop.

Umm, you’re gonna need two muffin pans for this. Did I mention that? No? Well, I just did. I’m all informative like that.

 Unwrap the Rolo candy and place one in the center of each chocolate cupcake, then push it down a little with your finger.

Now the recipe says to make sure the Rolos are covered with cake batter so I got a butter knife and just kinda swished some batter over each one. It was easy and just took a few seconds.

Bake your cupcakes at 350 for 15 to 20 minutes.

Let those cool for about 10 minutes in the muffin pan and then remove them to a wire rack (keep them in the liners though) to cool completely.

Brown Butter Frosting

Now it’s time for the magic to happen! I know, I know, putting a Rolo in a cupcake qualifies as pretty magical already to me, but this is even better!

Place a stick of butter in a small skillet over medium heat.

It’s gonna melt (just call me Captain Obvious).

Stir it every now and then and let it cook until it is brown like this (about 10 minutes).

Pour that into a cup or bowl or whatever you grab first that is heat proof and refrigerate it for 30 minutes.

Take your deliciously browned butter and put it in a bowl with your other 1/2 cup of softened butter.

Add your confectioner’s sugar.

Beat the living mess out of it, scraping down sides as needed, until it is all smoothified.

New word just for you. 

Okay, about the toasted pecans… I had every intention of skipping this step. I mean there is no law that says you have to follow every recipe to the letter, you know? But after I made the frosting, it got the better of me so I dipped a pecan half into it and had a taste.

SWEET BABY MULE PULLING A STEAMBOAT THAT WAS GOOD!

So I got a good cup or so of pecan pieces, scattered them on a baking sheet, and placed them in the oven at 350 for about 5 minutes or so, until lightly toasted.

Ice each cooled cupcake (still in the cupcake liner) with your delicious brown butter frosting…

And top with a few pieces of toasted pecans.

Then get ready for a cupcake unlike any you’ve ever had before!

Okay, here’s another photo of the melted caramel inside because I couldn’t resist! How good does that look? Enjoy your Rolo cupcakes, folks!

Storage

• Store cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
• If you want to freeze them, it’s best to freeze them before you add the frosting. They’ll last up to 3 months.

Recipe Notes

• Feel free to use any kind of chocolate cake mix. I’m a big fan of Duncan Hines’ Devil’s Food cake mix.
• Instead of the toasted pecans, you can also add more Rolo candies to the top of each cupcake or drizzle them with milk chocolate, chocolate sauce, and/or caramel sauce.
• Instead of brown butter frosting, you can also top the cupcakes with chocolate ganache, my foolproof 7-minute frosting, or my creamy chocolate buttercream frosting.

You may also like these scrumptious cake recipes:

Red Velvet Cupcakes Made From Scratch

Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Icing

Barbara’s Lime Cupcakes

Mini Bundt Cakes Using Aunt Sue’s Famous Pound Cake

The recipe was printed with permission from Taste of the South Magazine and excerpted from Southern Cakes Special Issue. Original recipe entitled “Caramel Surprise Cupcakes”.

“Do your little bit of good where you are; it’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.”

~ Desmond Tutu

Submitted by Jenny. Click here to submit your own.