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This recipe would tick all your boxes for making the best buttercream frosting for cutout cookies.
- easy buttercream frosting recipe
- it's a cutout cookie frosting that hardens
- no heavy cream
- can be stacked and transported.
Use this buttercream cookie frosting on your favorite sugar cookie recipe and then watch your friends' faces light up as they bite into your beautiful creation.
Vanilla Buttercream Frosting for Cookies.
Buttercream frosting is a thick, rich butter-based icing that adds a touch of sweetness to your favorite baked goods.
All buttercream recipe starts with basic ingredients - butter, icing sugar, milk, and vanilla extract.
The main difference between making buttercream icing for cakes and for cookies is the amount of liquid used in each recipe.
- Cakes need more liquid so that they are a lot creamier and spreadable to fill and frost the cake.
- And another reason is to avoid their crust from drying out while storing.
In short, you need a fluffy frosting.
- Cookies on the other hand don't need as much liquid because in this case, we want the slight crust to form so that they can be stacked on each other.
You can use this homemade frosting recipe on Christmas cookies, cut-out cookies, soft sugar cookies, drop sugar cookies, or with our best sugar cookies recipe.
Don't Miss these Tips:
I usually share the tips to make any recipe after showing you the step-by-step tutorial but in this case, it is important for you to know a few basic pointers before you actually start making the recipe.
I do not recommend but please scroll down to the bottom of the page for the printable recipe card in case you are falling short of time or do not want to go through this.. I understand.. but bookmark this to come back later.
- Definitely use either a stand mixer or a hand-held electric mixer. I recommend using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment. Do not use a whisk attachment as you do not want the butter to get stuck in the whisk which would make the process of making this frosting unpleasant.
- As for the ingredients use room-temperature butter - not too soft. The butter should be firm enough to slice with your fingers. Too soft means you would end up adding way too much sugar making the frosting overly sweet. And of course, melted butter is a big NO-NO.
- Use clear vanilla extract to get that almost white color. If using a regular one then add the vanilla extract right at the beginning so that it has time to whip up with the butter incorporating well to give maximum flavor and also fade down the brown coloration. Another great pointer is to add a little almond extract along with vanilla as it gives a more complex and mind-blowing flavour. I do this when I am making the recipe for some special occasions like kids' birthdays or especially for holiday baking.
- Adding sugar in bits and pieces is key. Add about a quarter cup. Wait till it is completely incorporated and only then add the next set. This makes sure that the sugar dissolves completely without giving out a gritty or grainy texture.
- Warm Milk for the win!! I figured out that one way to avoid the grittiness in your buttercream is by using warm milk which helps dissolve the sugar while mixing.
- Always and always gel food colors for colouring your buttercream. A little goes a long way. Oil or water-based colours would thin down the consistency which you do not want. Check out our buttercream frosting 101 to know more about how to colour buttercream.
- Frosting a lot of cut cookies? Make sure that you are covering the unused sugar cookie buttercream frosting with a damp cloth. As this frosting hardens up and forms crust you do not want it to come in direct contact with air.
Ingredients
- 56 gms (1/4 cup) Butter - I prefer using unsalted butter as it would help you have control over the saltiness in the recipe. Take the required butter out of the fridge, cut it into cubes and allow it to soften just a bit.
- 210 gms (1.5 cups) Icing sugar also known as confectioners' sugar. No powdering your granulated sugar won't work in this recipe.
- 2 tsp warm milk - Please note warm, not hot. Hot milk would curdle the buttercream. Warm to the touch is just fine. Heavy Whipping Cream can also be used in place of milk. no need to warm it up though.
- 1 tsp Clear Vanilla extract - Good quality vanilla extract as this would make or break the recipe in terms of flavour.
- Few drops of pink gel food coloring or any other different colors of choice as per need.
Step-by-Step Tutorial
In the bowl of your stand mixer start by adding cubed butter and beat it on medium-high speed until pale in colour and turns creamy (like the picture above).
This would take around 8 to 10 mins. Make sure to stop the bowl in between, scrape the sides and beat again to ensure even mixing of the butter.
You can also use a hand mixer at this stage. It would take a little longer to beat the butter say about 13 to 14 mins.
Meanwhile sieve the icing sugar atleast twice.
Then gradually add your icing sugar. Do not rush through this process. Add about quarter cup of sugar. Beat till the sugar is dissolved completely about 3 mins.
Start at low speed then gradually increase to medium speed and finally mix at high speed to dissolve the sugar.
Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl before proceeding with the next addition.
After adding about 1/2 cup of sugar add a tsp of warm milk and beat again for another 3 mins.
Repeat the process till you finish incorporating all the ingredients.
Beat the buttercream for 3 more mins and voila it is all ready to be frosted on top of the cookie.
It also pipes beautifully, just fill a sturdy piping bag with 1M nozzle and start making rosettes.
A great recipe that is the perfect compliment to my easy sugar cookie egg -free recipe.
Storage Instructions
- If you are about to pipe a lot of cookies then you can store the buttercream at room temperature itself whilst working. Just make sure to cover it with a damp cloth (not wet) or a cling wrap so that it does not dry out.
- Or you can also keep it in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 days.
How to store sugar cookie frosting in the fridge?
Either you wrap the entire thing in plastic wrap or keep it in an air tight container. This can be stored for 5 days.
Remember to bring it to room temperature and beat using a spatula to get the right consistency before frosting it on the cookies.
How to freeze buttercream frosting?
To be very honest I have not tried freezing this buttercream frosting for cutout cookies. But I have frozen the regular American buttercream frosting and it stays just fine for about a month. Just follow the thawing instructions as mentioned above in that case.
How to store frosted sugar cookies?
Frosted sugar cookies can be stored at room temperature for 2 3 days in an air-tight container.
If you want to stack them then leave the cookies to air dry for a couple of hours or put it in the fridge to speed up the process and then touch them gently with your finger to check if it is hard enough to stack.
Then you can stack and store them.
Difference between Buttercream Frosting, Icing and Royal Icing? Which one to use?
Buttercream Frosting
Made using butter, sugar, and vanilla this is the most common form of frosting that can be used on cakes, cookies, cupcakes, etc. Usually makes for a thick frosted sugar cookie.
Icing
The icing on the other hand is more of runny consistency; it's like a glaze to me and not suitable for frosting.
You can dip the cookies in it but cannot be used to spread or pipe.
Royal Icing
Royal Icing is the most sort-out recipe for decorating or doing intricate work on cookies. it sets beautifully. and hence makes the most common form of medium to be used with cookies.
When to use it?
If you are looking for an easier medium to work with and if it is for a small family event or any charity function then go with this buttercream frosting for cutout cookies.
However, if you want to make intricate designs, store them for longer, and make theme-based decorations for weddings then royal icing is your go-to form.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this recipe smudge-proof?
No buttercream recipe is smudge-proof. Yes it hardens up well, the frosted cookies can also be stacked and transported but it is not as smudge-proof as the royal icing recipe when it comes to intricate designs.
Can cookies with buttercream frosting be left out?
Yes, definitely it has enough sugar in it that it can definitely be let out at room temperature for 2-3 days just make sure to store them in an airtight container.
How to stack the frosted sugar cookies?
1. First thing - Make sure that the cookies are completely dried and hardened up. This usually takes a couple of hours so leave them to air dry at room temperature or chill in the fridge to dry them out.
2. Take an air-tight container and lay the cookies flat in one single layer.
3. Place parchment paper on top of the hardened buttercream sugar cookies.
4. Then add the second layer of cookies on top.
5. I would not recommend adding more than two to three layers on top because the weight of the cookies can press down the bottom layered cookie thereby spoiling the design underneath.
How to frost Sugar Cookies with this buttercream frosting
There are 3 ways in which you can do this.
1. Spreading: Simply use an offset spatula to spread the frosting on top of the cookies evenly. You can keep things simple by using a butter knife or a spoon instead to do the job.
2. Piping: Use a piping bag fitted with a piping tip of choice to make designs of choice.
3. Dipping: Melt the buttercream frosting in a microwave and then dip the cookies in it. Allow it to solidy again.
How to smooth buttercream on top using the freezer frosting method?
Spread a layer of frosting on top of the parchment paper. Place another parchment paper on top, spread and smoothen it out to 1 inch thickness or the thickness of your choice using the bench scraper. Freeze for 30 mins to an hour. Remove the parchment paper from the top and using the cookie cutter cut it out to the shape of the cookie. Lift using a small spatula and place on the sugar cookies. Refer this video on Instagram to know the process.
Related Recipes
- Best Sugar Cookie Recipe - Eggfree version
- Air Fryer Sugar Cookies
- Buttercream Frosting 101
- Condensed Milk Buttercream
- Royal Icing
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Buttercream Frosting for Cutout Cookies that hardens
This is the perfect recipe for making buttercream frosting for cutout cookies that sets and hardens well making it easier to stack and transport the cookies
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Prep Time 30 minutes minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes minutes
Servings 24 cookies
Calories 51kcal
Author Sushma Iyer
Ingredients
- 56 gms (1/4 cup) Unsalted Butter
- 210 gms (1.5 cups) Icing Sugar
- 2 tsp Warm Milk
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- Few drops of Gel food colour of choice optional
Instructions
In the bowl of your stand mixer start by adding cubed butter and beat it on medium-high speed until pale in colour and turns creamy. This would take around 8 to 10 mins. Make sure to stop the bowl in between, scrape the sides and beat again to ensure even mixing of the butter. (You can also use a hand mixer at this stage. It would take a little longer to beat the butter say about 13 to 14 mins.)
Meanwhile sieve the icing sugar atleast twice.
Once the butter is pale and creamy, gradually add your icing sugar. Do not rush through this process. Add about quarter cup of sugar. Beat till the sugar is dissolved completely about 3 mins. Start at low speed then gradually increase to medium speed and finally mix at high speed to dissolve the sugar. Do remember to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl before proceeding with the next addition.
After adding about 1/2 cup of sugar add a tsp of warm milk and beat again for another 3 mins.
Repeat the process till you finish incorporating all the ingredients. Beat the buttercream for 3 more mins and voila it is all ready to be frosted on top of the cookie.
It also pipes beautifully, just fill a sturdy piping bag with 1M nozzle and start making rosettes.
Notes
- The time duration does not include the time taken for the cookie to harden up once frosted as that would depend upon the weather conditions of where you are from. However, refrigerating the cookie does speed up the process. I also feel that upon refrigeration the frosting on top of the cookies are totally smooth to bite.
- Recipe ingredients are perfect enough to frost 24 smaller size cookies like the ones made in the Air Fryer. The quantity would vary depending upon the size and design of the cookies you are frosting.
- Definitely use either a stand mixer or a hand-held electric mixer. I recommend using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment. Do not use a whisk attachment as you do not want the butter to get stuck in the whisk which would make the process of making this frosting unpleasant.
- As for the ingredients use room-temperature butter - not too soft. The butter should be firm enough to slice with your fingers. Too soft means you would end up adding way too much sugar making the frosting overly sweet. And of course, melted butter is a big NO-NO.
- Use clear vanilla extract to get that almost white color. If using a regular one then add the vanilla extract right at the beginning so that it has time to whip up with the butter incorporating well to give maximum flavor and also fade down the brown coloration. Another great pointer is to add a little almond extract along with vanilla as it gives a more complex and mind-blowing flavour. I do this when I am making the recipe for some special occasions like kids' birthdays or especially for holiday baking.
- Adding sugar in bits and pieces is key. Add about a quarter cup. Wait till it is completely incorporated and only then add the next set. This makes sure that the sugar dissolves completely without giving out a gritty or grainy texture.
- Warm Milk for the win!! I figured out that one way to avoid the grittiness in your buttercream is by using warm milk which helps dissolve the sugar while mixing.
- Always and always gel food colors for colouring your buttercream. A little goes a long way. Oil or water-based colours would thin down the consistency which you do not want. Check out ourbuttercream frosting 101to know more about how to colour buttercream.
- Frosting a lot of cut cookies? Make sure that you are covering the unused sugar cookie buttercream frosting with a damp cloth. As this frosting hardens up and forms crust you do not want it to come in direct contact with air.
- The cookies can be stored at room temperature in an air tight container for up to 2 days and in the refrigerator for up to a week
Nutrition
Calories: 51kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 5mg | Sodium: 1mg | Potassium: 2mg | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 59IU | Calcium: 1mg | Iron: 1mg
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