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Finished cut-open brown butter cinnamon crunch chocolate cups in mini muffin liners showing thin shells and cereal-studded praline filling

Brown Butter Cinnamon Crunch Chocolate Cups

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  • Author: Giulia
  • Prep Time: 25 minutes
  • Cook Time: 15 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes (plus chilling time)
  • Yield: 24 chocolate cups
  • Category: Chocolate Recipes
  • Method: No-special-mold chocolate cups
  • Cuisine: American
  • Diet: Vegetarian

Description

Mini dark-chocolate cups with thin shells and a sticky brown-butter praline filling studded with crisp cinnamon cereal crunch.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 10 oz dark chocolate, chopped (283 g)
  • Flaky salt, optional (about 1/8 tsp or 1 g)
  • 6 tbsp unsalted butter (85 g)
  • 1/2 cup packed light or dark brown sugar (100 g)
  • 1/4 cup heavy cream (60 ml)
  • 1/4 tsp fine salt (1 g)
  • 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon, optional background spice (1 g)
  • 1 1/2 cups cinnamon cereal, crushed into fine crumbs (e.g., Cinnamon Toast Crunch) (about 40–50 g)
  • Pinch of cinnamon cereal crumbs to sprinkle on top, optional (2–3 tsp or 4–6 g)

Instructions

  1. Set up: Line a mini muffin pan with 24 mini muffin liners. Place the pan on a tray so you can move it easily.
  2. Melt chocolate (for shells): Chop the dark chocolate. Melt 8 oz (227 g) in a microwave in 20-second bursts, stirring each time, until smooth. Let it cool to warm and pourable (not hot-steaming).
  3. Build the first shell layer: Spoon about 1–2 tsp chocolate into each liner and swirl to coat the bottom and sides. Tilt and pour off excess so shells are thin. Chill 10 minutes until firm.
  4. Build a stronger shell: Melt any remaining chocolate from the 8 oz portion if needed for consistency. Spoon another 1 tsp per liner to re-coat thinly. Chill 15 minutes until set.
  5. Brown the butter: In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Cook, stirring, until the butter foams, then settles with brown flecks and a nutty aroma (about 4–6 minutes). Immediately remove from heat.
  6. Cook the praline: Stir in brown sugar and cream. Return to medium-low heat and cook, stirring constantly, until thick and glossy, about 4–7 minutes. Visual cue: it should coat the back of a spoon and look like a thick caramel sauce.
  7. Cool slightly for cereal crunch: Remove from heat. Let the praline cool 5–8 minutes, until warm but not hot (it should still be thick and spreadable).
  8. Fold in cereal: Stir in the crushed cinnamon cereal. Mix just until evenly combined. The filling should look studded and slightly sticky.
  9. Fill the cups: Spoon about 1 heaping tbsp filling into each chocolate shell (avoid overfilling).
  10. Seal: Melt the remaining 2 oz (56 g) chocolate (microwave in bursts until smooth). Spoon a thin layer over each filled cup to seal. Tap the tray lightly to level.
  11. Chill to set: Refrigerate 30–45 minutes until firm. For clean cutting, chill 1 hour if you plan to slice a few for the hero photo.
  12. Serve or gift: Peel from liners just before serving. Cut-open cups look best when sliced straight through with a sharp knife.

Notes

– Measuring cue: If your praline looks too loose after cooking, simmer 1–2 minutes longer. If it looks grainy, reduce heat and stir through; avoid boiling hard.
– Chocolate choice: Tempered chocolate gives extra snap, but thick melted chocolate works as long as you chill between shell layers.
– Less sweet: Reduce brown sugar to 7 tbsp (88 g) if you prefer a slightly less sweet praline—keep cream and salt the same.
– Crunch protection: Fold in cereal only after the praline cools slightly; overly hot filling softens the crunch.

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Find it online: https://sweetcravelab.com/brown-butter-cinnamon-crunch-chocolate-cups/