Happy Christmas week! I’m just settling down on Boxing Day after a great Christmas filled with food, family, and movies. Today I decided to make something savory since I’ve been eating so many sweets. My beloved pecan sticky buns, gingerbread cookies, and homemade peanut butter balls. I’ve been craving mac and cheese, so I decided to make a decadent brown butter mac and cheese recipe for boxing day lunch on a cold winter day. 

Brown Butter Mac and Cheese

My parents were both on vacation this week, so we’ve been spending lots of time together. Tuesday was a rough mental health day for me, but I pushed through by focusing on last-minute Christmas shopping. All of the gifts were wrapped, but I drove down to a small bakery/gift shop to pick up coffee and stocking stuffers. After that we made dinner and watched TV. A typical vacation day waiting for Christmas to arrive. I couldn’t wait for Wednesday because I was due to make my pecan sticky bun dough. 

Wednesday, Christmas Eve, was a blur. I started by helping my dad shovel properties after a huge snow storm. The drive was scenic – every inch of the Maine pines and evergreens were covered in white fluff. I felt like I was living in a snow globe as it dusted and filled the air. We shoveled and plowed and noticed a gathering of people at a restaurant. One of the only ones left open. There was a distinct smell of grilling hot dogs wafting from the chimney. It whetted my appetite, so I came home and made a buttery grilled cheese for lunch.

Baking Sticky Buns

Then it was time to get to work. My brioche dough has to rest for 6 hours, then overnight, to be perfect for Christmas morning. So I made sure to start by 1 or 2 at the latest. After lunch I gathered all the ingredients, as I do each year, and threw them all into my stand mixer. I measure them with a kitchen scale, from the Flour cookbook, to be extra careful. And the mixer hums and groans for nearly 30 minutes as I add butter. I watched it come together finally into a cohesive yellow ball, and I knew it was done when it started slapping the sides of the bowl.

It went into the fridge for 6 hours to proof. In the meantime, we watched Christmas movies and wrapped the rest of our presents. I made burgers for dinner. Like I do every Wednesday, and we capped the night off with the middle of It’s A Wonderful Life on TV. I took my brioche out of the fridge and scraped it out of the bowl onto the counter. I made the honey caramel sauce and the filling (sugar and cinnamon) and finished by cutting discs of cinnamon buns. Lastly I put them in the fridge, on top of the goo and a smattering of pecans, ready for the morning.

Christmas Day

Christmas was wonderful. I got up early, as is tradition, to proof the buns. They take about 1-2 hours with the oven light on. My dad got up early with me and we watched a little of A Christmas Story, then switched to Home Alone when my mom woke up. We opened presents in pajamas and sipped coffee, then I put the sticky buns in to bake. We dug in as soon as they were done, a little too early, and opened the rest of our gifts. I relaxed after, firing up the new Pokemon game and watching cooking shows next to the Christmas tree. 

We made lobster pot pie for dinner. Which didn’t come out as great as I wanted it to. A combination of not being able to use onions or aromatics for picky palates and using puff pastry I made months ago from the freezer. We had family over, too, and exchanged more gifts. Then the night wound down naturally with more TV. We all doze off and it was time for bed. I got a second wind of energy so I tried on a couple new pieces of clothing and watched some TV in bed while burning a gingerbread candle. 

Boxing Day Mac and Cheese

It was a great day. I love the feeling of responsibilities pausing. Focusing completely on the day and the celebration. And I love boxing day – it was my favorite as a kid. No need to go anywhere and an excuse to play video games all day. We would eat leftovers and take naps, too. But today I felt the pressure of real life creeping back in a little too soon. Probably because I’m an adult now. But the day was still relaxing. My dad and I played 4 games of pool and we both won 2. Breakfast was leftover sticky buns. Lunch was brown butter mac and cheese. 

I decided to make brown butter mac and cheese after having it on my list for a while. And I wanted to make something easy and simple after a tiring week. I was stuffed with desserts and chocolates, so I was craving something savory. Mac and cheese has always been one of my favorite things. But I don’t make it too often. My mom and I actually had just taken mac and cheese out of the oven last year when she got the call that her close friend died. So we associate it with grief now. I’m determined to reclaim it.

Brown Butter-Toasted Pasta

I usually use Cooper cheese, which is typically melted on steak and cheese sandwiches. It’s so creamy and flavorful. I first tried it on an omelette at a great brunch spot in Midcoast Maine. This time I didn’t want to leave the house and dreamed of staying in pajamas all day. So I used what we had. Cheddar and parmesan. To spruce it up a little, I realized I could make a brown butter mac and cheese by cooking the pasta in brown butter first. Kind of like spaghetti all’assassina, which is grilled and caramelized before it’s boiled. 

I wanted to make a one-pot mac and cheese, too, so I fired up my deepest sauté pan and melted a whole stick of butter. I measured my pasta, about 3 cups, which was a combination of 3 different ends of pasta boxes. Rotini, elbow macaroni, and cavatappi. Cavatappi is always my first choice. Luckily they all had the same cook time. When my butter started to glisten with gold, I added my pastas and stirred it together. Quickly the hard pasta pieces, clanking around the pan, began to take on a slight gold color. Soaking up all the brown butter flavor.

Creamy Baked Mac and Cheese

Next I added liquid to finish cooking the pasta. Milk and chicken stock. I added some garlic, too, for flavor, and contemplated adding a bunch of spices. But I wanted to keep it simple. I made a goulash mac and cheese once with paprika, which was amazing, but I always regret it when I don’t make a classic recipe. The brown butter, I hoped, would give this a slightly nutty flavor. So I continued with just my pasta, butter, milk, and cream, and it boiled away until the pasta was fork-tender. A bit al dente. I spent some time grating cheddar on a box grater and found some parmesan in the fridge to use, too. 

Most of the liquid had evaporated, so I turned the heat down and added my heavy cream, sour cream, and a little more salt. And I hoisted in my mountain of cheese along with a half cup or so of parmesan. I stirred it all together with my wooden spoon and listened to that delicious sound of velvety, creamy pasta. I gave it a taste and seasoned it slightly. Then, I removed my pan from the heat and preheated the oven. There’s always a debate about baked mac and cheese and creamy stovetop pasta. Both are great, but I usually like to create a hybrid with a loose sauce and cheese crust on top, that way it stays creamy in the oven. I don’t want to slice it like a pie. 

Crispy Cheese Crust

Anyway, I sprinkled the rest of my cheese on top and watched it bubble away. Then, I grew impatient and turned on the broiler. Soon I had a gorgeous bubbly, golden brown crust of cheese on top. The edge of the pan bubbled away. I groaned as I lifted the heavy beast out of the oven and placed it on my cutting board to chill. Just like that my recipe was done. A simple brown butter mac and cheese perfect for a snowy, cold day in Maine in my pajamas. The perfect recipe for a lazy Sunday or a quick weeknight supper.

All that was left to do (after my photoshoot) was sit down and enjoy my decadent, cheesy lunch. And I did just that. I started with a conservative portion to see how I liked it. The pasta was still a tiny bit toothsome, which I loved. The cheese crust on top was delicious and crisp. And the sauce was still creamy and warm. The thing I loved most about it was the flavor of the brown butter. It gave the pasta a signature nutty flavor. The al dente quality of the pasta is great, too, because of toasting the pasta in the butter. The classic cheddar is sharpened a little by the parmesan. I struggled to put it down.

Relaxing Before 2026

I had another small portion because it was so tasty. And I fixed a plate for my dad after his morning of shoveling and plowing. I thought a lot about how 2026 is going to be very busy and full of hard work for me. I’m excited for it, but I wanted to revel in my brown butter mac and cheese and the simplicity of doing nothing. The permission to be a sloth after Christmas.

I’m excited for the new year, and for a chance to really pursue some of my dreams that have been on the back burner. But for now, all I need to do is eat mac and cheese and get some sleep. Break in my new clothes. And finish eating the mountain of sticky buns in the kitchen. 

Thank you for reading! I hope you had a great holiday and that you have a wonderful new year. Be sure to check out my Etsy for 100’s or art prints and recipe cards. Use code THEFOKREDRING for 25% off. Until next time!

Print Pin

Brown Butter Mac and Cheese

A creamy mac and cheese with nutty brown butter and plenty of cheddar

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword cheese bread, lemon pasta, mac and cheese

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Author theforkedring

Ingredients

• 1 stick salted butter
• 3 cups boxed elbow macaroni
• 2-3 cloves fresh garlic
• 2 tbsp AP flour
• 1 cup vegetable / chicken stock
• 2 cups whole milk
• 2-3 tsp kosher salt
• 3/4 cup sour cream
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 16 oz grated sharp cheddar
• 8 oz grated parmesan cheese

Instructions

• Heat butter in a large oven-safe sauté pan over medium-high heat. Cook until it begins to brown.
• Add your pasta and stir to combine. Add garlic and cook pasta in brown butter for 3-5 minutes, until lightly golden brown and toasted.
• Add flour to your pasta / butter mixture and stir to combine fully. Cook for another 2-3 minutes to remove the flour taste.
• Pour in your vegetable stock and whole milk and stir to combine. Cook over medium-high heat for 8-12 minutes until your pasta is al dente.
• When most of the liquid is evaporated and your pasta is mostly cooked, add kosher salt to taste, sour cream, and heavy cream. Turn heat down to medium.
• Cook for 2-3 minutes until the mixture is creamy and bubbling. Then add 12 oz of your grated cheddar cheese and 6 oz of the grated parmesan.
• Stir to combine into a thick, creamy, cheese mixture. Remove from heat and let stand for 5-10 minutes to chill.
• Preheat oven to 400°F. Stir your Mac and cheese. Then, sprinkle the rest of the cheddar and parmesan cheeses on top evenly.
• Cook Mac and cheese in oven for 10 minutes. Then, turn on the broiler and continue to cook until the cheese if fully caramelized and golden.
• Let sit for 5-10 minutes before serving.

Notes

• I recommend looking for Cooper Sharp cheddar at your grocery store – it’s my favorite cheese!
• You can use and type of pasta in this recipe, but I recommend cavatappi!