Brown Sugar Pound Cupcakes with Brown-Butter Glaze

For the cupcakes:
3 cups sifted all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2¼ cups packed light-brown sugar
4 large eggs, room temperature
¾ cup buttermilk

For the glaze:
4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter
2 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 to 4 T whole milk
½ vanilla bean

Garnish:
29 whole pecans, roasted

For the cupcakes:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Make cupcakes as directed in Basic Cupcake How-To, using buttermilk for wet ingredient. Fill each cup ¾ full, and bake for 25 minutes.

Set rack with cupcakes over a parchment-lined baking sheet. Spoon glaze over tops, and let stand until set. Serve glazed cupcakes immediately.

For the glaze:
Heat butter in a saucepan over medium heat until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Carefully pour butter into a bowl, leaving sediment behind.

Add sugar, vanilla extract, scraped seeds from one-half of a vanilla bean, and 2 tablespoons milk to butter, and stir until smooth. If glaze is too thick, add more milk. Use immediately.

Makes 29 cupcakes