This homemade buttercream frosting recipe is the perfect complement to cookies, cupcakes, cakes and browns and can be easily dyed to match the colors of the season.
There are a few recipes you just need in your baking arsenal, and a good buttercream frosting is one of them.
Buttercream icing is a super sweet, smooth frosting that is typically fairly stiff and great at making things like cookie sandwiches and ensuring that your frosting doesn’t all melt off the top of your buttercream cake.
In this buttercream frosting recipe, I’ll show you how to replicate my favorite icing recipe so you can use it to decorate all of your baked goods.
You can use buttercream icing on these snickerdoodle sandwiches, these red velvet cookie sandwiches, and these decorated snickerdoodle cookies.
It’s super simple, with just four ingredients: butter, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and milk.
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Can You Freeze Buttercream Frosting?
Yes, you can freeze buttercream frosting if you make too much.
It can be frozen for up to about 3 months, but the earlier you can use it after freezing, the better in terms of taste.
Can You Make Buttercream Frosting without an Electric Mixer?
Yes, you totally can!
It will take a bit more elbow grease, but it’s totally possible.
You’ll want to use a bowl that you can easily hold without squishing it in, so opt for a glass mixing bowl as opposed to a soft plastic one.
Must-Have Baking Tools (seriously)
- Silicone baking mats – I use this brand and my cookies slide right off without burning!
- a cookie scoop – get this one. It makes the perfect rounded cookies every time!
- silicone spatula – try this set. It’s the best way to get the most out of your dough and batters
- rolling pin guides – I use this one. Genius way to roll your dough out evenly!
How Do You Store Buttercream Frosting?
If you want to store the buttercream frosting before putting it on your cookies or cakes, you can leave it in the fridge in an airtight container for up to a week, but the earlier you can use it, the better.
How to Make Buttercream Frosting
To make buttercream frosting, you’re going to first want to start with just the butter in your mixing bowl.
You want to beat it until it’s a creamy consistency, which is about 1 to 2 minutes using an electric mixer.
After the butter is feeling smoth, add in the vanilla.
Then, slowly add in the powdered sugar and mix that in with the butter and vanilla.
At this point, it may start looking dry and crumbly once you add more and more powdered sugar, but the solution is in the next step.
Tablespoon by tablespoon, add milk to your mixture which will give you that liquid you need to make it creamy again and start to resemble a buttercream.
You can add more or less milk here depending on your preference for the consistency of the frosting.
And if you add too much, just add powdered sugar again until it’s the consistency you want.
Finally, beat the entire mixture to add some air into it and make it fluffier.
Classic Buttercream Frosting
This classic buttercream frosting recipe is a slam dunk for anyone wanting a thick topping for a sweet treat, and you don't even need an electric mixer.
Ingredients
- 2 cups butter (454 grams)
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 4 cups powdered or icing sugar (480 grams)
Instructions
1. To make buttercream frosting, you're going to first want to start with just the butter in your mixing bowl. You want to beat it until it's a creamy consistency, which is about 1 to 2 minutes using an electric mixer.
2. After the butter is feeling smoth, add in the vanilla.
3. Then, slowly add in the powdered sugar and mix that in with the butter and vanilla. At this point, it may start looking dry and crumbly once you add more and more powdered sugar, but the solution is in the next step.
4. Tablespoon by tablespoon, add milk to your mixture which will give you that liquid you need to make it creamy again and start to resemble a buttercream. You can add more or less milk here depending on your preference for the consistency of the frosting. And if you add too much, just add powdered sugar again until it's the consistency you want.
5. Finally, beat the entire mixture to add some air into it and make it fluffier.
Notes
This buttercream is super sweet and can be made thicker or thinner depending on your needs.
If you don't have an electric mixer, use a glass bowl and wooden spoon and put a bit of elbow grease in to make sure you have thoroughly beat the mixture and added in the air to make it fluffy.
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