This Buttercream Frosting for Cookies is creamy, silky, smooth, and hardens nicely. It’s perfect for decorating sugar cookies, and cut out cookies, and it does not require corn syrup to make it.
If you’re looking for delicious buttercream icing for cookies, then you’ve come to the right place. This buttercream is rich and super delicious, has a nice velvet texture, and actually hardens!
However, if you need a recipe that hardens enough to safely ship cookies, then I recommend going for Royal Icing or my Easy Cookie Icing recipe. But here’s how you can use this buttercream frosting for decorating:
- Use a butter knife or a small spatula, and spread a thin layer of buttercream on the cookie then decorate with sprinkles. This type of decorating will set quickly, and will do ok when the cookies are shipped. But it won’t be 100% smudge-proof like Royal Icing.
- Pipe out decorations with some fine detail. The buttercream will harden, but not enough to stack or safely transport cookies. However, it won’t be sticky when you touch it and will be perfect for cookie trays.
In short, I can’t promise you that this buttercream will be smudge-proof because it won’t, but trust me, I’ve tried so many recipes and there’s no buttercream frosting that will harden enough to make it smudge-proof.
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Why You Will Love This Recipe
- Delicious. In my opinion, this is the best-tasting icing that you can decorate cookies with!
- Wonderful Texture. When you bite into a buttercream-decorated sugar cookie, you’ll be in frosting heaven! It’s light, fluffy, and feels like you’re eating a cloud!
- Easy. There is no flooding, or any specific technique that you need to learn. Icing cookies with buttercream is so easy, and you’re going to love it!
Key Ingredients
Complete list of ingredients with quantities and instructions is located in the recipe card below
- Butter: Always use real unsalted butter that is softened to room temperature. If you want your frosting less sweet, I recommend using half a cup of salted butter and half a cup of unsalted butter. Avoid using shortening.
- Powdered Sugar: Also known as confectioner’s sugar, icing sugar, or frosting sugar. You cannot use granulated sugar or superfine sugar as a substitute.
- Vanilla: Use good quality pure vanilla extract for the best flavor!
- Salt: Use superfine salt to balance the sweetness of the buttercream.
How To Make Buttercream
- In a large bowl using a hand mixer, or using a stand mixer that’s fitted with a whisk or a paddle attachment. Beat the butter at medium speed for 1 minute until creamy.
- Decrease the speed to low, and gradually add the powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and salt and beat again.
- When the sugar is mixed in, increase the speed to high and beat for 3 minutes.
- If the frosting is too thick, add cream or milk and beat again. If it’s too thin, add powdered sugar and beat again.
Top Tips
- Use Gel Food Coloring: I always recommend using gel food coloring for its bright colors, and it won’t change the consistency of your icing. I use Wilton and Americolor brands.
- Heavy Cream: My recipe does not use heavy cream because I want it to harden since we’re frosting cookies. However, if you want it creamier and softer, you can add 1-2 tablespoons of heavy whipping cream.
- White Frosting: This is an all-butter frosting, so it will be difficult to make it completely white but keep in mind as you whip the butter it will become lighter in color. You can also use clean vanilla extract for a lighter color.
- Avoid Bubbles: If you want super smooth buttercream frosting, when you whip it using a stand mixer, use the paddle attachment rather than the whisk attachment. This way, less air will be incorporated into the buttercream and you won’t get many bubbles.
Variations
Feel free to add flavorings to your buttercream, and go for different extracts such as vanilla, almond, peppermint, orange, rum, lemon, strawberry, you name it!
You can also add ground cinnamon, gingerbread spices, or pumpkin pie spice to the buttercream.
Maple syrup would also be delicious especially if you’re working on a fall cookie. Just like I do with this easy Maple Glaze.
Add crushed cookies such as Oreos, Lotus Biscoff cookies, or crushed Circus Animal crackers.
Melted chocolate or cocoa powder will make your buttercream chocolatey (see my Chocolate Buttercream recipe here), and caramel would make it caramel-y.
And if you’re looking for a tangier and creamier frosting, try my cream cheese frosting for cookies instead.
Enjoy this delicious American buttercream frosting for cookies! If you try this recipe, don’t forget to share your experience in the comments box below. Pin the recipe to easily find it later!
Buttercream Frosting for Cookies
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup (225g) unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- 3 cups (375g) powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- Food coloring optional
Instructions
- In a large bowl using a hand mixer, or using a stand mixer that’s fitted with a whisk or a paddle attachment. Beat the butter at medium speed for 1 minute until creamy.
- Decrease the speed to low, and gradually add the powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and salt and beat again.
- When the sugar is mixed in, increase the speed to high and beat for 3 minutes.
- If the frosting is too thick, add cream or milk and beat again. If it’s too thin, add powdered sugar and beat again.
Nutrition
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
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Comments & Reviews
Tara says
Can I freeze the cookies once frosted.
Diana says
Yes, they freeze very well!