Adding Extract at the End of the Boil?

I have been hearing on here that I should add malt extract at the end of the boil (at around 15 min to sterilize). I am confused by this as most videos and information I have read have always said to add the malt extract right at the beginning of the boil (right after steeping any specialty grains).

What exactly does adding malt extract at 15 minutes do (as opposed to at the start of the boil)? Keep the beer lighter? Would I ever want to add malt extract at the beginning of the boil for darker, creamier beers?

If I need to add hops at 60 minutes, can I just add hops to the water and add extract at 15 minutes?

Thanks.

Sincerely,
Confused

late addition extract will increase hop utilization as well as keep you from caramelizing your extract. I haven't done late addition myself, I've always added at beginnin.. but on my next batch I'm planning to go 50/50.... half the malt at beginning and half at last 10 minutes...

Always remember to take your brew pot off the heat when you add your extract so as not to burn the extract!

I think adding it later also helps to keep your beer from being too dark in color. Not a big deal unless you are going for competition. Hop utilization is the biggest advantage. I just brewed a big Belgian beer. It was 50% late addition.

If you are doing a full boil, add all the extract at the beginning and hop as scheduled. If you are doing a partial boil, add half of the extract at the beginning, half with 15 minutes remaining and still hop as scheduled.

What you do not want to do is add the hops to just the boiling water and add all the extract at the end. I imagine that would give you some harsh bitterness from the hops.

from what i have read you need a little something in your pot other than just water when you add the hops. so in my situation i do Partial Mash, so i have the sugars from my mash in there when i add my hops.
as a side note, if you are doing a kit, the color change might be part of the recipe. i just brewed up an American red ale, which tastes amazing, but since i didn't add the extract at the beginning, its more of an orange color rather than a red.