Brown Sugar Whipped Cream

This butterscotch-y whipped cream is lovely spooned over desserts or swirled into your morning coffee.

By
Stella Parks
Stella Parks
Stella Parks
Editor Emeritus
Stella Parks is a CIA-trained baking nerd and pastry wizard, dubbed one of America's Best New Pastry Chefs by Food & Wine. She was the pastry editor at Serious Eats from 2016 to 2019.
Learn about Serious Eats' Editorial Process
Updated September 11, 2024
Closeup of brown sugar whipped cream dolloped on a slice of sweet potato pie.

Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

Why It Works

  • The mild molasses notes of light brown sugar add complexity of flavor.
  • Using vanilla bean, rather than extract, makes a more stable whipped cream.
  • A generous pinch of salt brings out the buttery notes of cream.
  • The relatively high proportion of sugar adds stability, keeping the whipped cream fluffy for days.

This simple, butterscotch-y whipped cream is the ultimate companion to sweet potato pie, but it's just as lovely spooned over brownies or swirled into your morning coffee. In this instance, vanilla bean is truly worth the splurge, as it keeps the chantilly's water to a bare minimum, allowing it to stay fluffy for days in the fridge (a handy make-ahead feature around the holidays).

November 2016

Recipe Details

Brown Sugar Whipped Cream Recipe

Prep 5 mins
Active 5 mins
Total 5 mins
Serves 8 servings
Makes 8 ounces
Cook Mode (Keep screen awake)

Ingredients

  • 6 ounces heavy cream (3/4 cup; 170 g)

  • 2 ounces light brown sugar (1/4 cup; 60 g)

  • 1/8 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt; use half as much if iodized

  • 1 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped (pod reserved for another use; see note)

Directions

  1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, combine cream, brown sugar, salt, and vanilla seeds. Whip on medium-high speed until fluffy and thick, about 5 minutes. Use immediately or refrigerate for up to 1 week in an airtight container.

Special Equipment

Stand mixer with whisk attachment

Notes

Save the empty vanilla pod for another baking project, such as sweet potato pie.

Read More

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
103Calories
8gFat
8gCarbs
1gProtein
×
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 8
Amount per serving
Calories103
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 8g10%
Saturated Fat 5g26%
Cholesterol 25mg8%
Sodium 27mg1%
Total Carbohydrate 8g3%
Dietary Fiber 0g0%
Total Sugars 8g
Protein 1g
Vitamin C 0mg1%
Calcium 21mg2%
Iron 0mg0%
Potassium 31mg1%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

More Serious Eats Recipes