Ultimate Buttercream Frosting

Nothing is better than a sugar cookie with fluffy, light buttercream frosting on it.  This recipe is just that.  

Shown here on sugar cookie bars 

Delicious, Perfect Buttercream Frosting

1 cup butter, softened to room temperature (very important that it is soft)*

4 cup powdered sugar 

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 Tablespoons cream, half and half, canned milk, or milk. Cream is best, but all work

Put the butter in your mixing bowl. You can use you electric mixer or hand mixer.  Beat until very fluffy. Gradually add the powdered sugar.  Add some, beat, add some , beat, etc until it is all mixed in. Add the vanilla and 2 Tablespoons cream. Gradually add more cream until it is the consistency you want. You can add a few drops food coloring if you would like. Beat well and plead on the cooled cookie bars.
* You can soften butter by putting hot water in a glass, pouring out the water, then putting the warm gas’s over the stick of butter. Let it sit for awhile. 

Creamy Chocolate Frosting

Michelle found this great recipe for chocolate frosting.  She already posted the cake recipe, which was to die for.  I wanted the frosting recipe on this blog, too, because I use it a lot.  It is really good.

Creamy Chocolate Frosting
2 3/4 cup powdered sugar
6 T. cocoa powder
6 T. butter
5 T. evaporated milk or half and half
1 teaspoon vanilla

Sift the sugar and cocoa into a bowl.  In another bowl cream the butter until smooth, then gradually beat in the sugar alternately with the milk.  Then beat in the vanilla.  Beat until very light and fluffy.  You can add more sugar or milk to get the right consistency.

Mary's Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting

Soon after we were married some friends invited us over to play games one evening and they served these cinnamon rolls. They were de.li.cious. I have made this recipe ever since. We live 3 hours from the temple so we get to make a family day trip of it several times a year. We always start the day off with these yummy babies. It is a happy tradition.

Dough
1 T yeast
1 c warm milk
1/2 sugar
1 t. salt
2 eggs
1/3 c. melted butter or margarine (The original recipe called for margarine. I like to use butter.)
4 c. flour

Filling
1/3 cup butter or margarine
1 c brown sugar
2 1/2 t. cinnamon

Frosting
8 T butter or margarine
1 1/2 c. powdered sugar
1/4 c. cream cheese (2 oz.)
1/2 t. vanilla
1/8 t. salt

Dissolve yeast and warm milk in a bowl. Let sit for about 5 minutes. Add sugar, salt, eggs, butter and flour. Mix well. Knead on counter for a minute (I let my Bosch knead it for a couple of minutes). Rise on counter for an hour.
Meanwhile:
Mix brown sugar and cinnamon together in a bowl and set aside.

Beat all frosting ingredients together until fluffy and until the color is more white than yellow.
Then:
After 1 hour roll dough out in a rectangle about 1/4 inch thick. I find it is pretty sticky so I need to put flour on my counter and on my rolling pin. Spread 1/3 cup butter on dough with a knife (I do about half that and it still tastes amazing). Sprinkle brown sugar/cinnamon mix on top. Start on a long side of the dough and roll it up so it makes one long skinny roll. Use yarn, thread or floss and slide it under the roll about 3/4 inches down then hold both ends of the thread and pull up. It will slice through the dough. Put on a greased cookie sheet or jelly roll pan. Repeat until it has all been sliced and put on the pan.

Bake at 400 for 10-14 minutes until light brown on top.

Frost and serve hot or cold. We like them nice and warm. Mmm.

Banana Bread Bars with Browned Butter Frosting

Like banana bread?  Then you'll LOVE these banana bread bars.  They are moist and yummy and the frosting is just delicious.  I feel I need to apologize for giving you this recipe.  These bars are addictive.

Banana Bread Bars

Cream together:

1/2 cup butter, very soft 

1 cup sour cream

1 1/2 cups sugar

Add:

2 eggs

Beat until creamy and smooth.  Add:

*About 2 cups mashed banana ( 3-4 ripe bananas)

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Mix well.  Turn off the mixer and add:

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

Turn on the mixer and mix for about a minute.  Stir in:

1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

Spread into a well greased jelly roll pan(sided cookie sheet.)  Bake at 375 for about 20- 25 minutes or until they're just pulling away from the edges of the pan.

While the bars are baking, make the frosting:

Browned Butter Frosting

In a large saucepan, over medium heat, melt:

1/2 cup butter

Cook and stir until the butter turns brown.  Brown will start to come up from the bottom of the pan and it will smell really buttery and nutty.  Watch carefully as you don't want it to burn.  When golden brown remove from heat and add:

4 cups powdered sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla

About 3 Tablespoons milk

Beat together until smooth and silky. It shouldn't be too thick like a set frosting, but more like a thick glaze.   

When the bars are done, let cool a minute or two, then put the frosting on.  The easiest way is put dabs all over the top and then gently spread with a spatula.  

*When bananas get too ripe, I break them in half and put them in a quart freezer zip lock bag.  I keep them in the freezer and add to the bag as I get more.  When I have enough, I make these bars (or banana bread, banana cake, smoothies, etc.)  Just let them thaw a bit( you can even thaw them in the microwave) and then while the bag is still closed, mash them right in the bag.  Then you can cut a corner off the bag and squeeze the banana mash right into the measuring cup.  

Sugar Cookie Bars with Lime Cream Cheese Frosting

Love sugar cookies, but don't make them often because it's so much work to roll and cut them?  This is the answer- sugar cookies in a bar.  These are really yummy.  I got the cookie recipe from Pinterest, but made up my own  cream cheese lime frosting.

Sugar Cookie Bars

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 cup butter, softened

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

1 egg

2 tsp. vanilla

2 1/2 cups flour

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

Preheat the oven to 350.  Spray a large, sided cookie sheet or jelly roll pan.  

In the stand mixer or with a hand mixer, cream together the soft butter, cream cheese and the butter.  When fluffy, add the egg and vanilla.  Stop the mixer and add the flour, soda, and baking powder.  Turn on mixer slowly and blend well.  

Turn the dough into your prepared pan and press it evenly into the pan.  The dough is very soft and sticky.  Bake for about 20 minutes, or until the outside edges are browning.   Cool completely and frost.

You can frost these with a vanilla buttercream frosting, but I had some limes to use, so made up this lime cream cheese frosting.  It was delicious.

Lime Cream Cheese Frosting

1 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese

1/2 cup butter

Lime juice- probably about 1/4-1/3 cup

Powdered Sugar

1 tiny drop green food coloring (opt.)

Beat the butter and cream cheese together.  Add juice and powdered sugar until the frosting is spreading consistency.

This makes a lot of frosting.  If you like thick frosting, make the whole recipe, but if you prefer less frosting, half this recipe would be great.  In preparing for our upcoming reunion, I doubled the cookie bar recipe and made this frosting recipe and it covered both pans of cookies just fine.

The Ultimate Carrot Cake

I have had a favorite carrot cake recipe that is so moist and delicious for many years. I got it from my sister, Joan's church cookbook from back in the 1980's. Recently, I got this Taste of Home Grand Prize Winners Cookbook.

I think you gain weight just looking at this beautiful cookbook because the pictures are so gorgeous. It has a carrot layer cake in it that looks so yummy. I got out my old carrot cake recipe to compare, and found them to be almost identical! EXCEPT . . . and this is a big EXCEPT-this recipe bumps it up a big notch by adding a delicious filling between layers. The filling is absolutely delicious and adds so much to the cake. The filling is kind of like German Chocolate cake frosting without the coconut. The recipe recommends you bake the cake in three 9-inch pans. I only own two, so I just made two layers. It worked perfectly.( The cake will be lighter and rise more if you use three)  If you have been looking for the ultimate, perfect, over the top delicous carrot cake recipe- you've just found it! It looks a little complicated, but don't let that scare you. You just start the filling on the stove, and then just give it a stir every once in a while while you make the cake. I promise, it is worth it. I wish I was a better photographer, so you could see how delicious it is. Do I dare admit that I took 16 pictures of this cake, trying get it just right? The pictures may not be great, but the taste, well, just ask my husband! I guess you'll just have to make it and see for yourself!

Carrot Layer Cake

Filling:

1 cup sugar

2 T. flour

1/4 tsp. salt

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1/2 cup butter

1 cup chopped pecans

1 tsp. vanilla

Cake:

1 1/4 cups vegetable oil

2 cups sugar

2 cups flour

2 tsps. cinnamon

2 tsps. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

4 eggs

2 cups shredded carrots

1 cup raisins (opt.)

1 cup chopped pecans

Frosting:

3/4 cup butter, softened

8 oz. cream cheese

1 tsp. vanilla

3 cups (you may need a little more) powdered sugar

For the filling:

In a large, heavy saucepan, combine the sugar flour and salt with a whisk. Stir in the cream. Cut the butter in chunks and add. On medium heat, cook and stir until the butter is melted and the mixture is boiling. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. After 30 minutes, remove from the heat and add the nuts and vanilla. Stir well. Set aside and cool.

For the cake:

After you get the filling simmering, start on the cake. In your mixer, beat the oil and sugar together. Combine the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add an egg to the sugar mixture, then add 1/4 of the flour mixture, then add another egg, then another 1/4th of the flour mixture. Add another egg, then another 1/4th, then the last egg, then the rest of the flour. Beat well. Stir in the carrots, nuts, and raisins(if you're using them.)

Pour the batter into two well greased 9 inch round cake pans. Bake at 350 for about 40 minutes or until it passes the toothpick test. Cook in pans on a wire rack about 10 minutes. Then carefully remove the cake from the pans and cool on the rack until completely cool.

For the frosting:

Beat together all the ingredients, adding more powdered sugar if needed to make a nice spreading consistency

Assembly:

Put one cake layer on a cake plate and put all of the filling on top. Put on the other layer and frost the top and sides with the cream cheese frosting.

Note: I have always wanted a cake stand. There's something about a layer cake under a dome that is just so beautiful and inviting. My beautiful daughters and their husbands remembered me saying that some time (I don't even remember saying it to them) and bought me one for my birthday last year. It has had a lot of use since then. Isn't it beautiful?

Lemon Cake with Lemon Buttercream Frosting

This is easy, and oh. so. good. And that's from a chocolate lover!

1 pkg. lemon cake mix

1 pkg. (small) lemon instant pudding

1 cup sour cream

3/4 cup water

3/4 cup oil

4 large eggs

Mix all together on low, then turn up speed and mix for about 2 minutes on med. speed. Pour batter into a sprayed 9 x 13 pan or two round pans. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes. Don't overbake.

Lemon Buttercream Frosting

(this stuff is to die for)

2 sticks butter, softened

6-8 cups confectioner's sugar

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (I've substituted lime and it's also delicious!)

Zest from 1 lemon

1 or 2 drops yellow food color (optional)

Mix the SOFT butter with about half of the sugar. Add juice and zest. Beat well. Add more sugar, one cup at a time until desired consistency. Spread on cake. You can garnish the cake with twisted lemon slices or clear decorator sugar.

This is delicious, but for me, it is a bit sour.  I prefer to use a yellow cake mix, making it less sour.  The frosting make a lot- really enough for two 13x9 cakes.

I make this frequently for gatherings and funeral luncheons.   Everyone loves it.  

Way Too Much Fun

How did I spend ALL of Gabbi's nap-time today?

Did I have other things I probably should have accomplished?

Decorating cupcakes = My new favorite past-time.

I got a decorating kit with a coupon at Michaels, this recipe from my visiting teacher, and went crazy.

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

Betty Crocker Cookbook, thanks to Cady Jardine's suggestion

Prep:10 min, 12 servings, about 1 3/4 cups of frosting

3 cups powdered sugar

1/3 cup butter or margarine, softened

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

1 to 2 Tbl milk

1. In a medium bowl, mix powdered sugar and butter with a spoon or electric mixer on low speed. Stir in vanilla nd 1 Tbl of the milk.

2. Gradually beat in just enough remaining milk to make frosting smooth and spreadable. If frosting is too thick, beat in more milk, a few drops at a time. If frosting becomes too thin, beat in a small amount of powdered sugar. Frost 13 x 9 cake generously or fills and frosts and 8 or 9 inch 2 layer cake.

Soft, Thick Sugar Cookies

Tradition! Tradition! . . . Tradition, Tradition! Now, I've got you singing, I'll soon have you baking. It's tradition to make sugar cookies at our house at Halloween and Valentines (Christmas there is always too much other good stuff being baked). Pumpkins at Halloween; Hearts at Valentines. I got this recipe from a friend years ago, and it really is the best. Roll the dough nice and thick (about 1/4") and don't bake too long and they are soft and delicious. Frost with buttercream frosting(daddy's favorite way) , or Grandpa Gabe's favorite way was when I would sprinkle them with colored sugar before baking. Oh, how he loved those! Happy Valentine baking!

1 cup shortening (I like butter flavored)

1 cup butter, softened

4 cups sugar

4 eggs, room temp. (you can put them in a bowl of warm water while you're gathering ingredients to warm them)

2 cups sour cream

2 tsp vanilla

1 tsp. soda

2 T. plus 2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

9 cups flour

In a very large bowl, cream shortening, butter and sugar until fluffy. Add each egg, one at a time, beating well after each one. Add sour cream and vanilla. Turn off beater. Add flour, then all of the other dry ingredients (or you can sift them together). Slowly turn on beater and mix the dry into the wet. Dough will be very sticky. Refrigerate for at least 1/2 hour. Roll on floured canvas or breadboard and cloth fairly thick. Cut with cookie cutters. Play on sprayed cookie sheet (you can sprinkle with colored sugar here) and bake at 350 for about 10-12 minutes, depending on size of cookies. . .just until barely starting to brown. Do not overbake. Frost with buttercream frosting (recipe below) when cool and decorate as desired. They will be soft and thick.

Buttercream Frosting

1/2 cup shortening

1/2 cup butter

1 tsp.+ vanilla

4 cups powdered sugar

2 T. milk

Few drops food coloring

Cream butter and shortening then add vanilla and milk. Gradually add powdered sugar, one cup at a time, beating well. Beat at high speed until light and fluffy. Add more milk or sugar to get desired consistency. Add food coloring and beat well. This refrigerates well, just beat before using.