Frosting - How Easy is That?

Frosting is pretty easy and cheap to make yourself.  It tastes yummy and you can make it whenever you like, color it how you want and use it on cookies, cakes, sweet rolls or whatever.  I will share some of my favorite recipes.

Plain Vanilla Frosting (I usually just make it without measuring but here are measurements that are pretty close)

2-3 T. butter or margarine
4 T. milk
4 cups powdered sugar
1 t. vanilla, if you like

Place butter, milk and 3 c. powdered sugar in a bowl and beat by hand or with a mixer.  Add the remaining powdered sugar until the right consistency.  Add a few drops of milk if it is a little stiff. For the creamiest frosting, substitute cream for the milk.  (You can add 1/4 cup cocoa for a quick chocolate frosting.)

Chocolate Frosting

1/2 cup butter
1/3 cup milk
1/4 cup cocoa
3 3/4 cups powdered sugar
1 t. vanilla

In a saucepan, melt the butter, milk and cocoa over medium heat, stirring.  Remove from heat and stir in the powdered sugar and vanilla. This will frost one 12 x 17-inch baking tray of brownies.

The BEST Butter Cream Frosting

3 cups powdered sugar
1 cup butter, room temperature
1 t. vanilla
1-2 T. cream

In a large bowl, with a mixer, cream together sugar and butter on low speed.  Mix until well blended.  Increase speed to medium and beat for 3 minutes.  Add vanilla and cream and continue to beat on medium speed for 1 minute more, adding more cream if desired for spreading/piping consistency.  Scoop into a piping bag and pipe decoratively onto cupcakes, or spread on cupcakes as desired.   Chill cupcakes.  Take out of the fridge 30 minutes before serving.   It will do about 30 cupcakes if you spread it and 15 if you pipe it like in the photo. This recipe is from: recipegirl.com.  She also has a great recipe for chocolate butter cream.  Her White Wedding Cupcakes are the very best cupcakes you can make and this butter cream frosting is the perfect finishing touch.

Maple Glaze
Yummy on  sweet rolls.

3 cups powdered sugar
2 T. melted butter
1/2 t. maple flavor (mapleine)

Stir together and add hot water a little at a time until it is the consistency that you like.  Drizzle or spread over warm sweet rolls. Enough for 24 sweet rolls.  This is from Ann Romney's cookbook, The Romney Family Table.