COOKIE FROSTINGhttps://lilluna.com/sugar-cookie-frosting/
By Chef Oge | OgeHubKitchen.com
Let Me Tell You Something Before We Start
I have been frosting cookies for sometimes now
And you know what
I still mess up sometimes
Last week I was making buttercream for my daughter’s birthday
I was in a hurry because I had to pick her up from school
So I dumped everything in the mixer and walked away
When I came back and tasted it I almost cried
I forgot the salt
It was so sweet it made my teeth hurt
I had to add salt and re-whip it and it took me an extra twenty minutes
So do not feel bad when you mess up
Even people who have been doing this for two decades still mess up
The difference is we know how to fix it
And that is what I am going to teach you
The One Thing You Need To Understand
There is no one frosting that works for everything
I know you want me to just give you one recipe and send you on your way
But that is not how it works
You have to choose based on what you are trying to do
If you want to eat the cookies today and you want them to taste amazing, use buttercream
If you need to pack them in a box and send them across town without them getting ruined, use royal icing
If you are in a hurry and you just want something shiny on top that takes almost no time, use the glaze
I am going to teach you all three
Then you can decide which one you need
Buttercream
This is the one I use most of the time because it tastes the best
People love it
It makes everything better
But you have to make it right
And most people do not
What You Need
Let me tell you what to get out of your fridge and cabinets
- One cup of unsalted butter
- Four cups of powdered sugar
- A quarter cup of heavy cream
- Two teaspoons of vanilla extract
- A quarter teaspoon of salt
That is it
Five things
And how you put them together matters more than what they are
The Butter Situation
You need unsalted butter
Not salted
I cannot say this enough
If you use salted butter your frosting will taste salty and there is nothing you can do to fix it
You cannot balance it out
It will just taste wrong
So buy unsalted butter
The butter also needs to be room temperature
And let me tell you what that actually means because nobody ever explains it properly
It means you take the butter out of the fridge one hour before you start
Not ten minutes
Not twenty minutes
One full hour
When you press your finger into it, it should leave a dent
If your finger goes straight through like the butter is melting, it is too warm
If your finger meets resistance and the butter is still hard, it is too cold
Too cold and your frosting will have lumps
Too warm and your frosting will be runny
The window is small
You have to get it right
The Sugar Situation
You need to sift your powdered sugar
I know everyone hates sifting
I know it is messy
I know it takes extra time
But you have to do it
Why, because powdered sugar has lumps
Those lumps will not dissolve when you mix
They will stay in your frosting and they will clog your piping tip
When you are decorating the forty-seventh cookie and your tip clogs
You will want to throw everything in the bin
So just sift the sugar
It takes two minutes and it saves you twenty minutes of frustration
The Cream
A quarter cup of heavy cream
If you do not have heavy cream you can use whole milk
If you do not have whole milk you can use what you have
But heavy cream gives you the richest texture
The Vanilla
Real vanilla extract
Not imitation vanilla
Not the brown stuff in the bottle that says vanilla flavor
Imitation vanilla tastes like chemicals
It will ruin your frosting
I know real vanilla is expensive
But this is one of those places where the difference is obvious
The Salt
Do not skip this
I used to skip salt when I first started cooking
I thought salt was only for savory food
My frosting always tasted like pure sugar and I did not know why
Then I learned that salt balances sweetness
Without it your frosting tastes flat and boring
So add the salt
It is such a small thing but it makes such a big difference
How I Make It
First, get your butter ready
Take it out of the fridge one hour before you start
Leave it on the counter
Do not microwave it
I know you are tempted
But microwaved butter melts unevenly
Your frosting will be a mess
Second, whip the butter
Put the butter in your mixing bowl
If you have a stand mixer use the paddle attachment
If you have a hand mixer that works too
Turn the mixer on medium speed
Beat the butter for three full minutes
Set a timer because three minutes is longer than you think
Scrape down the sides of the bowl once halfway through
What you are doing is putting air into the butter
The butter should turn pale, almost white
If it still looks yellow and dense you have not gone long enough
Third, add the sugar
Turn your mixer down to the lowest speed
Add your sifted sugar one cup at a time
Mix until each cup is just incorporated before adding the next
Do not dump all the sugar in at once
I have done that
I ended up wearing half of it
Fourth, add the liquid and flavor
Once all the sugar is in, add your vanilla, salt, and half of your cream
Turn the mixer up to medium
It will look dry and crumbly at first
Do not panic, that is normal
Add the rest of your cream gradually until it loosens up
Fifth, the final whip
Turn the mixer up to medium-high
Let it go for two more minutes
This makes it fluffy
When you lift your spatula the frosting should hold its shape
What Goes Wrong
If your frosting is too stiff
Add cream one teaspoon at a time
Mix and check
Keep going until it loosens up
If your frosting is too runny
Add more powdered sugar
Half a cup at a time
Sift it first
If your frosting has lumps
Microwave the whole bowl for ten seconds
Then stir vigorously
If the lumps do not dissolve, push it through a sieve
It is annoying but it works
If your frosting tastes grainy
Microwave for ten seconds
Whip it again on high speed for a minute
The heat and friction will dissolve the sugar crystals
If your frosting tastes too sweet
Add more salt, a pinch at a time
If your frosting tastes like nothing
You used imitation vanilla
There is no fix for this except to start over
When To Use It
Use buttercream when you are serving cookies the same day
When you want people to bite into the cookie and say wow
When you are piping borders or flowers
Do not use it if you need to stack cookies
It stays soft
It will stick to the cookie above it
The Glaze
Let me be honest
There are days when I have to make a hundred cookies
And I do not have time to mess around
That is when I use this glaze
It is fast
It is simple
It dries with a beautiful shine
What You Need
- Three cups of powdered sugar
- Four to six tablespoons of warm water
- Three tablespoons of light corn syrup
- One teaspoon of vanilla or almond extract
- Gel food coloring
About The Ingredients
The powdered sugar
Sift it
I am not going to stop saying this
The warm water
Warm water dissolves the sugar better than cold
The corn syrup
This gives you the shine
Without it your glaze looks dull and matte
Do not skip it
The extract
Vanilla is standard
But almond gives a beautiful flavor
The food coloring
Use gel coloring
Not liquid
Liquid thins out your glaze
Gel is concentrated and works perfectly
How I Make It
First, combine the dry ingredients
Put your sifted sugar and corn syrup in a bowl
Whisk them together
The corn syrup is sticky and annoying
Just keep whisking
Second, add the water
Add two tablespoons of warm water
Whisk until smooth
Add more water gradually until you get the right consistency
Here is how you test it
Lift your whisk
The glaze should fall in a ribbon
It should disappear back into the mixture within about five seconds
If it is too thick add more water a drop at a time
If it is too thin add more sugar
Third, add the flavor and color
Stir in your extract
If you are using color, add it now with a toothpick
Dip the toothpick in the gel and swirl it into the glaze
A tiny bit goes a long way
The Fast Way
Instead of spreading the glaze with a knife, I dip them
Hold the cookie by the edges
Dip the top into the glaze
Lift it out
Let the excess drip off for a few seconds
Place it on a wire rack to dry
While the glaze is still wet, use a toothpick to pop any air bubbles
You can also sprinkle decorations on top while it is wet
Once it dries, decorations will not stick
You can glaze fifty cookies in about fifteen minutes
But be warned
Your work surface will be covered in glaze
Put parchment paper down before you start
What Goes Wrong
If your glaze is too thick
Add warm water one drop at a time
Literally one drop
This stuff changes consistency fast
If your glaze is too thin
Sift in more powdered sugar
A quarter cup at a time
If your glaze is not shiny
You forgot the corn syrup
There is no replacement for it
If your glaze cracks after drying
Your cookies were too warm
Let them cool completely next time
If your glaze has streaks
Your food coloring was not mixed properly
Add a few drops of water and whisk vigorously until smooth
When To Use It
Use glaze when you are in a rush
When you need a fast finish
When you want a shiny look
When you need to stack cookies
Use it for school bake sales
For teacher gifts
For anything that needs to survive being transported
Royal Icing
I am going to be honest
Royal icing scares people
You see those beautiful cookies on Instagram
Perfect lines
Flawless flooding
You think it is impossible
But it is not impossible
It is just technique
What You Need
- Four cups of powdered sugar
- Three tablespoons of meringue powder
- Half a teaspoon of vanilla or lemon extract
- Half to three quarters of a cup of warm water
About The Ingredients
The meringue powder
Traditional royal icing uses raw egg whites
I do not use raw egg whites
I have been cooking for over sometimes
I have never once used raw eggs
Meringue powder is safer
It is more stable
It works better
The powdered sugar
Sift it
I am not going to stop
The extract
Lemon is traditional and gives a beautiful bright flavor
But vanilla works well too
How I Make It
First, combine the dry ingredients
Put your sifted sugar and meringue powder in your mixing bowl
Use the paddle attachment
Give them a quick whisk with a fork to combine them
Second, add the water
Add your water and extract
Start with half a cup
Turn the mixer on low
Let it run for one minute
The mixture will look like a thick paste
Scrape down the sides of the bowl
Third, whip until stiff peaks
Turn the mixer up to medium-high
Let it run for five to seven minutes
Watch it change
It will go from a thick paste to a glossy pillowy mass
Here is how you test it
Lift the paddle
The icing should form a peak that does not droop
The tip of the peak should fold over just slightly
But it should not fall
That is stiff peak
Fourth, adjust the consistency
The stiff icing is perfect for piping outlines
For flooding you need it thinner
To thin it, add water a few drops at a time
Here is the test I use
Drag a knife through the icing
The line should disappear back into the icing within ten seconds
If it takes longer add more water
If it disappears too fast add more sugar
The Technique
This is how I decorated four hundred cookies for a wedding and did not lose my mind
First, pipe the outline
Fill a piping bag with your stiff royal icing
Use a small round tip
Trace the outline of your cookie right along the edge
This outline acts like a dam
It holds the thinner icing inside
Second, let it set
Wait ten minutes
Let that outline set
Do not rush this
If you flood too soon the icing will spill over the edge
Third, thin the remaining icing
Add a few drops of water to the rest of your icing
It should be runny enough to flow on its own
Fill a squeeze bottle with this thinner icing
Fourth, flood the center
Squeeze the thinner icing into the center of the cookie
It will naturally flow toward the edges
Use a toothpick to guide it gently
Pop any air bubbles you see
Fifth, let it dry completely
This is the most important step
Royal icing takes time to dry
Leave your cookies somewhere they will not be disturbed
At least six hours
I prefer to leave them overnight
If you move them too soon your designs will smear
What Goes Wrong
If your icing is too stiff
Add water a few drops at a time
If your icing is too thin
Add more powdered sugar, sift it first
If your icing dries with a grey tint
You over-whipped it
Next time stop as soon as you reach stiff peaks
For this batch, add a tiny drop of white gel food coloring
If your icing cracks after drying
Your cookie was moving while the icing set
Make sure your cookies are on a stable surface
Also make sure your icing is not too stiff
If your flooding icing spilled over the edge
Your outline was not thick enough
Use a thicker line next time
Or you flooded too soon
Wait longer for the outline to set
When To Use It
Use royal icing for intricate designs
For dots, lines, lace patterns
For cookies that need to be stacked in boxes
For cookies that need to survive transportation
Do not use it if you want a rich flavor
Royal icing tastes like sugar
The flavor is not the point
The durability is the point
Cream Cheese Frosting
I do not see enough people using cream cheese frosting on cookies
And I think that is a shame
On gingerbread cookies
On oatmeal cookies
On pumpkin spice cookies
Cream cheese frosting is divine
The tanginess cuts through the spice
It balances everything out
What You Need
- Half a cup of unsalted butter
- Eight ounces of full-fat cream cheese
- Four cups of powdered sugar
- Two teaspoons of vanilla extract
- Half a teaspoon of salt
About The Ingredients
The cream cheese
Buy full-fat cream cheese
Not low-fat
Not non-fat
The water content in low-fat cream cheese will make your frosting runny
Full fat only
And it needs to be at room temperature
The butter
Unsalted and at room temperature
Everything else
Sift the sugar
How I Make It
First, cream the butter and cream cheese
Put your butter and cream cheese in the mixing bowl
Beat them together on medium speed for about two minutes
You want a smooth lump-free mixture
Scrape down the sides of the bowl
Second, add the sugar
Turn your mixer down to low
Add the sugar gradually, one cup at a time
The mixture will look dry and crumbly at first
That is normal
Keep going
Third, add the flavor and salt
Add your vanilla and salt
Fourth, the final beat
Turn the mixer up to medium-high
Beat for one to two minutes
The frosting should become light and fluffy and spreadable
Here is the important part
Do not overbeat it
Overbeating makes it runny
Stop as soon as it looks smooth
A Warning
Cream cheese frosting must be kept refrigerated
I have seen people leave cream cheese-frosted cookies out for hours
Then they wonder why everyone got sick
Do not be that person
If it has cream cheese in it, it goes in the fridge
When To Use It
Use cream cheese frosting on gingerbread cookies
On oatmeal cookies
On pumpkin spice cookies
On carrot cake cookies
Anywhere you want a tangy counterpoint to sweet and spicy
Variations I Have Come Up With
I have been doing this for a long time
I have learned how to change things up
Lemon Buttercream
Zest a lemon into the butter before you start mixing
Replace the vanilla with lemon extract
Add two tablespoons of fresh lemon juice
Reduce the cream by the same amount
Bright and citrusy
Perfect for spring
Chocolate Buttercream
Sift half a cup of unsweetened cocoa powder in with the sugar
You might need an extra tablespoon or two of cream
For a richer flavor, melt four ounces of dark chocolate
Let it cool and mix it in instead of the cocoa powder
Salted Caramel Glaze
Replace the water in your glaze with strong black tea
It adds depth
Add two tablespoons of caramel sauce to the glaze
After you dip your cookies, sprinkle flaky sea salt on top
While the glaze is still wet
Mint Royal Icing
Replace the vanilla with peppermint extract
Use a tiny amount
Peppermint is potent
Add a drop of green gel coloring
For a festive look
Honey Cream Cheese Frosting
Replace half the powdered sugar with honey
Adjust the consistency with more powdered sugar
Rich floral note
Beautiful on shortbread
Tips I Have Learned
Temperature
Temperature matters more than anything
If your butter is too cold your frosting is lumpy
If your butter is too warm your frosting is runny
If your kitchen is too hot your buttercream will melt
Take your butter out forty-five minutes to an hour before you start
If your kitchen is warm, pop the bowl in the fridge for a few minutes
Sifting
Sift your sugar
I know I keep saying it
I am going to keep saying it
Un-sifted powdered sugar has lumps
Those lumps will clog your piping tip
Save yourself the frustration
Cooling Your Cookies
Cool your cookies completely before you frost them
Warm cookies will melt your frosting
It will slide off the sides
If you are in a rush, put the cookies in the fridge for ten minutes
Practicing
Practice on paper first if you are trying a new design
Make your mistakes where nobody can see them
Storing
Buttercream keeps in the fridge for a week
Glaze keeps at room temperature for two days
Royal icing is best used immediately
Cream cheese frosting goes in the fridge and needs to be used within three days
Decorating Techniques
Piping
Hold your piping bag in the middle
Squeeze from the top
Twist the open end so the frosting is forced down toward the tip
Apply even pressure for straight lines
Flooding
The squeeze bottle is your best friend for flooding
Fill it with thinned icing
Squeeze into the center of the cookie
The Toothpick Trick
A toothpick is your best tool for flooding
Use it to guide the frosting toward the edges
Pop air bubbles
Swirl colors together for a marbled effect
The Crumb Coat
If your cookie is crumbly
Apply a thin layer of frosting first
Let it dry for fifteen minutes
Then apply your main layer
The first layer catches the crumbs
My Final Words
There is no best frosting
There is only the right frosting for what you are doing
If you are serving cookies fresh use buttercream
If you are stacking cookies in a box use royal icing
If you are in a rush use the glaze
And if something goes wrong do not panic
Every caterer I know has messed up
I have had frosting run off cookies
I have had frosting crack
I have had frosting that was so sweet it made my teeth hurt
It happens to all of us
The difference is that we know how to fix it
Now I want to hear from you
What kind of cookies are you making
Tell me in the comments
And if you have problems ask me
I respond to everyone
Now go and make something beautiful
