Description
This easy buttercream frosting recipe is perfect for decorating sugar cookies with a smooth, creamy texture and rich vanilla-almond flavor. It whips up quickly using simple pantry ingredients, resulting in a fluffy frosting that spreads easily and enhances your baked treats. Ideal for holiday cookies, parties, or any celebration, this buttercream frosting can be customized in sweetness and consistency to suit your decorating needs.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Buttercream Frosting
- 1 1/2 cups (12 oz) softened salted butter
- 4 cups (17 oz) powdered sugar, plus extra as needed
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp almond extract (or 1/2 tsp for lighter almond flavor)
- 1 pinch (about 1/8 tsp) salt
- 1 tbsp French vanilla coffee creamer (optional; can substitute heavy cream and add extra vanilla and almond extract to taste)
Instructions
- Beat the Butter: Beat slightly colder than room temperature butter in the bowl of an electric mixer on medium-high speed for 1 minute. Scrape down the bowl to ensure even mixing.
- Add Extracts: Add the vanilla and almond extracts and continue beating on medium-high for another 3-5 minutes until the mixture is light and fluffy.
- Incorporate Sugar and Salt: Lower the mixer speed to low and slowly pour in the powdered sugar along with the pinch of salt. Once fully incorporated, increase the mixer speed to medium-high and beat for an additional 5 minutes to achieve a smooth texture.
- Add Creamer and Remove Air Bubbles: Turn the mixer to low and pour in the coffee creamer (or heavy cream if substituting). Stir until combined, then let the mixer run on low speed for another 3-5 minutes to remove most air bubbles. For optimal decorating texture, hand-mix a small amount with a silicone spatula by pressing the buttercream against the bowl sides to work out remaining air bubbles.
- Adjust Consistency: If the frosting feels too soft, add a few extra tablespoons of powdered sugar to thicken it (this will increase sweetness), or chill the frosting in the fridge for a few minutes to firm it up, stirring by hand before use.
- Decorate and Store: Frost your sugar cookies as desired. Consume within 3-5 days. Store leftover frosting in an airtight container at room temperature or refrigerate to keep fresh for up to a week.
Notes
- This recipe yields enough buttercream to frost about 2 to 2.5 dozen average-sized cookies (1.5 to 1.8 oz each), depending on the thickness of your frosting layer.
- This buttercream does not crust or harden, so decorated cookies should be stored in a single layer to avoid squishing the frosting.
- You can adjust the almond extract quantity for a lighter or stronger almond flavor according to your preference.
- Using French vanilla coffee creamer adds extra flavor, but heavy cream is a great substitute with increased vanilla and almond extracts.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 tbsp (about 30g)
- Calories: 150
- Sugar: 24g
- Sodium: 50mg
- Fat: 7g
- Saturated Fat: 4.5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2.5g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 24g
- Fiber: 0g
- Protein: 0g
- Cholesterol: 20mg
