Similar to traditional vanilla buttercream frosting you’re keen on on desserts and cupcakes, this 5-ingredient cookie adorning buttercream is deliciously creamy and candy. It’s good for cookie adorning novices, and soft-sets after a number of hours. You possibly can pipe designs onto cut-out cookies, like sugar cookies and gingerbread cookies, or just unfold it on and prime with sprinkles! See video tutorial within the recipe for inspiration.
Whereas royal icing is my first selection relating to adorning sugar cookies, I do know it’s not everybody’s favourite cookie icing to work with. Which is why I developed this straightforward cookie icing, an exquisite glaze-like different. However typically you simply don’t need to mess with both!
It’s good to have choices.
In order for you a creamy buttercream frosting, that holds its piped form and might be tinted any coloration you want, then this cookie adorning buttercream is for you. And it tastes SO scrumptious on prime of a cookie!
This Cookie Adorning Buttercream:
- Is fast and straightforward to make
- Will be tinted any coloration with gel meals coloring (right here is my favourite model)
- Is nice and creamy and flavored with actual vanilla
- Will be piped into designs with completely different piping ideas or just unfold onto cookies
- Is fantastic on prime of so many varieties/flavors of cookies
- Gentle-sets after a number of hours
The cookies you see listed below are my traditional sugar cookies. They’ve an irresistible buttery vanilla taste and delicate, thick facilities. Plus, they maintain their form when baking and have a flat floor that’s good for adorning.
However be happy to make use of this cookie adorning buttercream on one other taste of cut-out cookies, like:
Or just unfold it on prime of one other type of cookie, like we do on these delicate and cakey sugar cookies.
Seize These 5 Components:
- Butter: You possibly can’t make buttercream with out butter! Although salted is ok, I like to recommend utilizing unsalted butter so you’ll be able to management the added salt. Whichever you employ, ensure you are utilizing correct room-temperature butter.
- Confectioners’ Sugar: Sweetens vanilla buttercream and provides stability and pipe-ability to the frosting.
- Heavy Cream: A bit cream smooths out the frosting. Although complete milk or half-and-half are completely acceptable, use heavy cream for optimum richness. I exploit much less in as we speak’s buttercream than in my common vanilla buttercream, to maintain it thicker.
- Vanilla Extract: As a result of that is the principle taste within the frosting, I strongly suggest utilizing high-quality pure vanilla extract (not imitation vanilla). You could possibly additionally use use selfmade vanilla extract.
- Salt: Only a pinch, to steadiness the candy.
Find out how to Make It
American-style buttercream is fast and straightforward.
Make certain your butter is softened to room temperature earlier than starting. Use a hand or stand mixer to beat it till easy and creamy. Beat within the remaining elements, style, after which add salt. At this level, you’ll be able to add extra confectioners’ sugar to thicken, or a splash of heavy cream to skinny out. That’s it!
I’ve the total written out recipe under.
Find out how to Rid Buttercream of Air Bubbles
Over-whipping buttercream creates air bubbles. The style isn’t any completely different, however the buttercream is now not easy and velvet-y. Right here’s the best way to do away with air bubbles in your frosting:
Flip off the mixer and seize a picket or steel spoon or silicone spatula and start stirring the buttercream by hand. Mash the frosting up towards the facet of the bowl to “pop” the bubbles. Do that till many of the air bubbles deflate, about 1–2 minutes. This trick requires plenty of arm muscle!
Tint the Frosting and Fill Piping Luggage
You possibly can preserve the buttercream white or tint it with gel meals coloring. To paint it, divide it into small bowls. Add gel meals coloring to every bowl and blend effectively. For lighter tints, I like to recommend utilizing the tip of a toothpick so as to add coloration, slightly than squeezing an entire drop into the bowl of frosting.
Seize a piping bag for every coloration of icing. Match every with a coupler and piping tip. After I’m utilizing a number of colours with the identical piping tip, I at all times use couplers.
What are couplers? Couplers are 2-piece units that connect to small piping ideas, and preserve them OUTSIDE of the piping bag. This makes it straightforward to swap piping ideas among the many completely different coloured luggage of icing.
Fill the piping bag: Spoon the buttercream into the piping bag, ensuring to depart a number of inches of house on the prime of the bag. A tall cup makes this simpler! Place the piping bag inside, with the tip close to the underside of the cup, and fold the top of the bag over the edges of the cup, then fill with frosting.
Whereas not completely mandatory, I exploit these these clips to safe the top of the piping bag, so the frosting doesn’t leak out the top of the bag.
Piping Ideas I Use to Adorn Cookies With Buttercream
This cookie adorning buttercream holds form superbly and works for intricate designs. To embellish the sugar cookies you see pictured as we speak, group members Allison and Stephanie and I used piping ideas from this actual Wilton 55-Piece Piping Ideas Set.
Once more, you may get all of the following tips in a helpful Piping Ideas Set, which additionally consists of the piping ideas I exploit to embellish cookies with royal icing.
You possibly can pipe zig-zags, swirls, traces, or no matter your coronary heart needs! See video tutorial under for inspiration. We used white balls from these sprinkles for tree “ornaments” and coarse sugar on the “snow.”
If you wish to skip piping luggage and ideas, use a knife or icing spatula to frost the cookies.
It doesn’t totally crust, nevertheless it does “delicate set” which suggests it units sufficient to be dry on prime. You’ll nonetheless need to be a bit cautious stacking the adorned cookies. To make a crusting buttercream, substitute half of the butter (1/2 cup) with shortening.
Sure, completely! Scale back the vanilla extract to only 1/2 teaspoon, after which you need to use one other extract corresponding to peppermint, coconut, lemon, maple, or almond. I might begin with just one/2 teaspoon of any of those, style, after which beat in additional if desired.
Relying how a lot frosting you placed on every cookie, this buttercream is sufficient for no less than 24 to 30 cookies.
Sure, you need to use this buttercream to embellish a gingerbread home. See my gingerbread home recipe. The recipe under doesn’t crust as a lot because the buttercream recipe I embrace within the gingerbread home recipe, as that one accommodates shortening (which aids in crusting). Immediately’s buttercream will not be splendid as a “glue” for the gingerbread home items. For that, you’ll want royal icing.
Extra Adorning Tutorials
Wish to discover ways to enhance cupcakes? Watch my the best way to use piping ideas video to study 5 fundamental however lovely methods to pipe frosting onto cupcakes.
Wish to give royal icing a strive subsequent? Right here’s my the best way to enhance sugar cookies with royal icing video.
And these are my prime really useful cookie adorning provides.
Cookie Adorning Buttercream
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Whole Time: 5 minutes
Yield: 2.5 cups (no less than 24-30 cookies)
Class: Dessert
Methodology: Mixing
Delicacies: American
Description
Similar to traditional vanilla buttercream frosting you’re keen on on desserts and cupcakes, this 5-ingredient cookie adorning buttercream is deliciously creamy and candy. It’s good for cookie adorning novices, and soft-sets on the cookies after a number of hours. You possibly can pipe designs onto cut-out cookies, like sugar cookies and gingerbread cookies, or just unfold it on with a knife and prime with sprinkles! See video tutorial within the recipe for inspiration.
Directions
- Have your cookies baked and cooled utterly. You possibly can use this recipe, or your favourite recipe for cookies.
- Make the buttercream: With a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium velocity till creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the confectioners’ sugar, heavy cream, and vanilla extract. Beat on low velocity for 30 seconds, then enhance to medium-high velocity and beat for two full minutes. Style. Add a pinch of salt if frosting is just too candy. I at all times add 1/8 teaspoon. To thicken the buttercream, beat in additional confectioners’ sugar. To skinny out the buttercream, beat in additional heavy cream.
- Colour the Icing: Should you’d prefer to tint the icing, divide it into separate bowls for every coloration, or tint your entire batch one coloration. A bit gel meals coloring goes a great distance, so use a toothpick to dot the gel into the icing. Stir it in, after which add extra to deepen the colour if desired.
- Use Piping Ideas or Knife/Icing Spatula: You should utilize a knife or icing spatula to frost the cookies. Or, if utilizing piping ideas, match a piping/pastry bag with a piping tip (and use a coupler when you plan to change frosting colours and/or piping ideas). Spoon the buttercream into the bag, ensuring to depart a number of inches of house on the prime of the bag. Twist the top of the bag or use a clip to seal it shut. You possibly can pipe zig-zags, swirls, traces, dots, or no matter your coronary heart needs! See video tutorial under for some inspiration.
- When you’ve got leftover buttercream, cowl it tightly and retailer within the fridge for as much as 1 week.
Notes
- Make Forward and Freezing Directions: Freeze in an hermetic container for as much as 3 months. Thaw within the fridge in a single day, then beat the frosting on medium velocity for a number of seconds so it’s creamy once more. After thawing or refrigerating, beating in a splash of heavy cream or milk will assist skinny the frosting out once more, if wanted.
- Particular Instruments (affiliate hyperlinks): Electrical Mixer (Handheld or Stand Mixer) | Silicone Spatula | Gel Meals Coloring | Disposable or Reusable Piping Luggage | Couplers | Wilton 55-Piece Piping Ideas Set | Bag Clips | Small Icing Spatula | White Sprinkles | Coarse Sugar Sprinkles
- Amount: Relying how a lot frosting you placed on every cookie, this buttercream is sufficient for no less than 24 to 30 cookies.
- Confectioners’ Sugar: In case your confectioners’ sugar is especially lumpy, I like to recommend sifting it earlier than measuring and utilizing.
- Heavy Cream: You should utilize half-and-half or complete milk as an alternative if wanted. The decrease the fats, the much less creamy your buttercream might be. Whichever you employ, ensure it’s at room temperature. In any other case your frosting may separate or seem grainy.
- Does This Buttercream Crust? It doesn’t totally crust, nevertheless it does “delicate set” which suggests it units sufficient to be dry on prime. You’ll nonetheless need to be a bit cautious stacking the adorned cookies. To make a crusting buttercream, substitute half of the butter (1/2 cup) with shortening.
- Can I Taste the Buttercream with Different Extracts? Sure, completely! Scale back the vanilla extract to only 1/2 teaspoon, after which you need to use one other extract corresponding to peppermint, coconut, lemon, maple, or almond. I might begin with just one/2 teaspoon of any of those, style, after which beat in additional if desired.