Looking to take your sugar cookies to the next level? This buttercream frosting might be just what you need. It’s creamy, delicious, and easier to work with than you might think. Whether you’re decorating for a holiday, a special occasion, or just because, this buttercream recipe will help you create cookies that not only taste amazing but also look like they came from a bakery.
I’ve gone back and forth over the years between royal icing and buttercream to decorate my sugar cookies. Although I love the look of the royal icing and the way it hardens for storage, I keep coming back to buttercream because honestly, I enjoy the taste and texture substantially more!
This buttercream pairs beautifully with my Soft and Chewy Sugar Cookies. Check out the recipe!
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Buttercream vs Royal Icing to Decorate Sugar Cookies
Before we get started, let’s talk about the pros and cons of royal icing and buttercream. They both have their strengths and weaknesses, so read through this list to decide what’s best for you!
Royal Icing Pros
- Hardens (Can be stacked or packaged without the damage)
- Super smooth finish
- Variety of consistencies for decorating, flooding, florals, detail work
- Sturdy in warm temperatures
- Can create wet on wet designs
- Can be used for transfers
Royal Icing Cons
- Can be overly sweet because of the ingredients needed to make it
- Harder/Crunchier texture (Some recipes are better than others)
- Time Consuming to let layers harden and dry
- Decorations can be brittle and prone to breakage
- Steeper learning curve, particularly with getting a smooth flood and proper consistencies.
- Not as creamy or flavorful as buttercream
- Colors can bleed
- Uses non pantry typical ingredient (meringue powder)
Buttercream Pros
- Delicious, not overly sweet
- No setting or drying time
- Beginner friendly to make and decorate with
- Soft and creamy texture
- Simple pantry ingredients
- Can be used for transfers
- Less color bleeding
Buttercream Cons
- Does not harden, can be damaged
- Needs to be stored in a single layer
- Can melt/soften in heat
- Shorter shelf life
- Trickier to get a super smooth finish
- Tiny details are a bit harder
Buttercream Ingredients
One of the great things about buttercream, is you probably have most if not all of these ingredients in your pantry already (with the exception of my secret ingredient!)
Let’s take a closer look.
Ingredients
- Butter: I prefer salted to help balance out the sweetness! Yes, you can use unsalted and add a precise amount of salt if you wish, but I prefer the salt being thoroughly blended in vs having to add in as many granules that sometimes don’t dissolve right away.
- Confectioner’s Sugar: Let me tell you a secret…I don’t sift my powdered sugar for buttercream, and you don’t have to either! Unless you have serious clumps.
- Vanilla and Almond Extract: These two extracts create a classic sugar cookie flavor profile.
- French Vanilla Coffee Creamer: The secret ingredient! Adding in just a little bit of coffee creamer makes the buttercream so smooth and creamy, and also adds delicious flavor! (If you don’t want to use coffee creamer, you could always swap for heavy cream and then add additional vanilla or almond extract to taste.
How to Make Buttercream for Decorated Sugar Cookies
Beat the Butter
Temperature: Start with butter that’s just softened. You don’t want it cold and firm, and you don’t want it too warm and mushy. I shoot for slightly colder than room temp but still soft.
Using an electric mixer and a paddle attachment, beat the butter until lightened in color, silky, and smooth.
I really enjoy using paddles that have the silicone scrapers on the edges. They really get the sides and the bottom of the bowl which mixes things more efficiently.
Add in the Extracts
Adding in the extracts at this step helps the vanilla not color the buttercream as much. Don’t ask me why, but I do notice a difference.
Add in the extract and beat the butter for a bit longer until thoroughly incorporated.
Slowly Add the Confectioner’s Sugar
With the mixer on low, add in the confectioner’s sugar slowly. Do NOT turn the speed up on the mixer until the confectioner’s sugar is mostly absorbed into the butter, or else you’ll have a sugar cloud descending on your kitchen.
Beat together until light and fluffy.
Add in the Coffee Creamer (Or Heavy Cream)
Drizzle in the coffee creamer and mix on low until incorporated.
If you wish, you can substitute the coffee creamer for heavy cream! You may just need to add a bit more vanilla or almond to compensate for flavor.
Removing Air Bubbles to Get Smoother Buttercream
Air bubbles can be a real pain when you’re decorating, particularly when piping! Here are a few tricks to get them out to set yourself up for success.
Remove Bubbles by Stirring by Hand
This one is pretty self explanatory! Use a silicone spatula to mix the buttercream by hand, pressing it along the sides of the bowl to work out air bubbles.
Mix In Low For a Few Minutes
Running your mixer on low for a few minutes can also work out some of the air bubbles in your buttercream.
Coloring Buttercream for Sugar Cookies
Let’s talk about color! One of the best parts of decorating cookies is adding fun colors and textures.
The biggest thing to remember is to use gel based food colors. Water based are not as concentrated and will take substantially more to achieve the desired shades.
Recommended Gel Food Coloring Products
Here’s a few brands I enjoy using! They are highly concentrated and leave no weird aftertastes.
Americolor
Tips for Coloring Buttercream
Tip #1: A little goes a long way! You can always add more color but you can’t take it out.
Tip #2: Add a bit of brown to achieve pretty muted shades
Tip #3: Colors can deepen a bit after sitting. If you’re trying to achieve a deep shade, keep this tip in mind!
Tip #4: Add a TINY amount of purple to brighten the buttercream color and cancel out some of the yellow tint from the butter.
Sugar Cookie Buttercream Consistency
Different consistencies are best used for different things in decorating! For example, with piping, you want a firmer buttercream that will hold it’s shape, but when trying to achieve a smooth frost, a slightly softer consistency is more ideal.
There are two things that can drastically effect the consistency of buttercream. The first being temperature, and the second being the ratio of your ingredients. Let’s chat about it.
How Temperature Effects Buttercream Consistency
Because buttercream is largely butter based, the temperature of where the frosting is stored will have an effect on how sturdy it is. Even a warm room can start to soften a buttercream.
Colder Buttercream = Firmer
Warmer Buttercream = Softer
How Ingredient Ratios Effect Buttercream Consistency
Each ingredient plays a crucial role in buttercream. Here’s a quick note on how each effects the results.
Butter: Adds flavor, richness, silkiness. A higher butter amount will give you a softer/silkier buttercream.
Confectioner’s Sugar: Adds sweetness, and structure. The more you add, the stiffer and sweeter the buttercream will become. Some bakers will add in extra powdered sugar just for 3-D piped elements like flowers, borders, etc.
Heavy Cream or Coffee Creamer: Adds flavor, cuts sweetness, softens/loosens the consistency of buttercream. Heavy cream or something similar is a MUST for me when making American Buttercream to cut the sweetness and increase the creaminess.
Extracts/Flavorings: Be cautious to not add too much liquid to a buttercream or it may become too runny. Use highly concentrated flavors like extracts and oils if possible. For additions like fruit puree or jams, reduce them down in a pot on the stove until some of the liquid evaporates, or add in a cornstarch slurry to thicken.
Salt: Balances sweetness
Some additional flavoring ideas…
- Citrus Zest
- Crushed Cookies
- Spices
- Freeze Dried Fruit Powder
- Marshmallow Creme
- Cream Cheese
- Cocoa Powder
- Espresso Powder
An important note, this recipe does not harden/crust.
To make a buttercream that crusts, you need a substantially higher powdered sugar ratio and less butter or cream, and that makes the frosting much sweeter. I love how this buttercream isn’t overly sweet and I’m willing to store them in a single layer with a no crust recipe to achieve the taste I prefer.
Creating Texture and Layers with Buttercream Sugar Cookies
One of the beauties of buttercream is that you don’t have to wait for the layers to harden and dry! Here are some examples in previous blog posts and Instagram posts including decorating techniques.
French Blue Floral Buttercream Sugar Cookies
Snowflake Buttercream Sugar Cookies
Carved Buttercream Christmas Ornament Sugar Cookie
Sugar Cookie Buttercream Uses
This sugar cookie buttercream recipe is great for a multitude of techniques including piping, palette knife work, and simple spreading.
Buttercream Sugar Cookie Frequently Asked Questions
Can you freeze sugar cookies decorated with buttercream?
Yes you can! Buttercream decorated cookies can generally be stored for up to 3 months in an airtight container in the freezer.
How should buttercream decorated sugar cookies be stored at room temperature?
Because buttercream will not harden/crust, store cookies in an airtight container in a single layer.
How can I make my buttercream stiffer to decorate with?
Add powdered sugar a tablespoon or two at a time until the buttercream reaches the desired consistency.
Can you add fine details with buttercream on sugar cookies?
Yes you can! Depending on what fine details you want to pipe, you may need to experiment with what consistency is best, but with a smooth buttercream and tiny piping tips you can definitely achieve small details.
How long do buttercream-decorated cookies last?
Buttercream decorated cookies last about 5 days at room temperature, up to 3 months in the freezer, and up to a week in the fridge.
Do buttercream-frosted cookies need to be refrigerated?
Cookies decorated with this buttercream are fine to sit out at room temperature and are best eaten within 4-5 days, but will last a few days longer if kept in the fridge.
How should buttercream sugar cookies be packaged?
Since this buttercream does not crust, cookies should be stored in a single layer, with nothing touching the buttercream to avoid the design getting smashed or messy.
Why is my buttercream grainy?
Typically a buttercream that is grainy needs to be mixed longer to help the powdered sugar fully dissolve. It’s also possible that a lower quality powdered sugar is the cause.
What do I do if my buttercream has more air bubbles after it sits for awhile?
This one has an easy fix! Simply use a silicone spatula to mix by hand for a bit to smooth out the consistency and remove air bubbles again.
Why is my buttercream not fluffy?
If your buttercream feels really dense or clumpy, you should try mixing it longer.
How do I make my buttercream less yellow?
Because buttercream is largely butter based, it will have a yellow/off white tone to it. Some things you can do to lessen the yellow tone is beat your buttercream long enough to lighten the color, or you can add a TINY toothpick tip worth of of purple food coloring to help cancel out the yellow tones.
Thanks for stopping by to check out this buttercream recipe! If you use it, I’d love to see your creations. Feel free to leave a comment on this post or tag me on social media!
Easy Buttercream Frosting for Sugar Cookie Decorating
Ingredients
- 12 oz softened salted butter 1 ½ cups
- 17 oz powdered sugar 4 cups
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp almond extract
- 1 pinch salt 1/8 tsp ish
- 1 tbsp french vanilla coffee creamer Optional sub. heavy cream and add extra vanilla and almond extract to taste
Instructions
- Beat slightly colder than room temperature butter in the bowl of an electric mixer on medium high for 1 minute. Scrape down the bowl and add vanilla and almond extract, and beat for another 3-5 minutes until light and fluffy.
- With the mixer on a low speed, slowly pour in the powdered sugar along with the pinch of salt. Once the dry ingredients have been incorporated, turn the mixer up to medium high and beat for 5 more minutes.
- Turn the mixer on low, pour in the coffee creamer (or heavy cream). Stir until combined, and then allow the mixer to run on a low speed for another 3-5 minutes to remove the majority of the air bubbles. (For optimal decorating texture, use a silicone spatula to hand mix a smaller amount in a bowl pressing the buttercream against the sides to work out air bubbles.)
- Frost cookies in your preferred method, and eat within 3-5 days. Store in an airtight container at room temp, or store in the fridge to keep them fresher for up to a week. Enjoy!
We loved this recipe! Easy to follow and perfect combination for the sugar cookie recipe!
I made this delicious buttercream to decorate my sugar cookies and it was sooooo good!!!! Perfect texture to hold shape, yet melt in your mouth deliciousness. Highly recommend!