From the Kitchen

Our Favorite American Buttercream

A simple, classic American buttercream for sugar cookies, cakes, cupcakes, and anything else that could use a little frosting.

There is a time and place for perfectly piped icing. And then there are afternoons at the kitchen table with a pile of sugar cookies, too many sprinkles, and frosting in every color.

This is the buttercream we make for those afternoons.

It's simple, sweet, easy to make, and forgiving enough that nobody needs to be particularly good at decorating. Spread it with a knife, pipe it from a bag, tint it whatever color the occasion calls for, and don't worry too much about making every cookie look the same.

The slightly lopsided ones usually taste just as good.

The Recipe

Our Favorite American Buttercream

A classic American buttercream that's easy to whip up, easy to color, and perfect for decorating our favorite sugar cookies.

Prep About 10 minutes

Mixer Hand or stand mixer

Batch Full or small

Ingredients

16 ounces salted butter, room temperature
2 pounds powdered sugar, approximately 7 cups
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 to 4 tablespoons milk, as needed
Natural food coloring, optional

Small Batch

Need less frosting? Make half.

8 ounces salted butter, room temperature
1 pound powdered sugar, approximately 3 1/2 cups
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 to 2 tablespoons milk, as needed
Natural food coloring, optional

Directions

Use a hand mixer or countertop mixer. We prefer a countertop mixer when making a full batch.
Cut the room temperature butter into small, approximately 1 inch cubes.
Beat the butter for approximately 3 minutes, or until it is light and fluffy.
Slowly begin adding the powdered sugar, a small amount at a time, mixing between additions until all of the powdered sugar has been incorporated.
Add the vanilla and mix until combined.
If the buttercream is too thick, slowly add milk until you reach the consistency you want. Start with less. You can always add more.
Add natural food coloring, if using, and mix until the color is evenly incorporated.

A Note on Color We like using naturally derived food colors from Color Kitchen. Their color guide is especially helpful when you want to mix your own shades instead of relying on a box of standard colors.

Visit the Color Kitchen Color Guide

Storing Buttercream Store leftover buttercream in an airtight container in the refrigerator. When you're ready to use it, bring it back to room temperature and rewhip until light and fluffy again.

Cookies decorated with American buttercream can generally be kept covered at a cool room temperature for up to 2 days. For longer storage, refrigerate.

Spread it thick. Add the sprinkles. Let somebody lick the spoon.

Perfect cookies were never really the point.