How To Make Vanilla Buttercream Icing From Scratch

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As a kid, I loved eating the vanilla icing out of the canisters in my pantry. Well, as an adult that really has not changed much, but instead of buying the store junk my kids and I love this simple recipe on how to make vanilla buttercream icing from scratch.

This recipe is actually so simple that I did a video where my 3-year-old actually helped me making the icing on Facebook. The recipe below is actually one that we use in our bakery for our customers. It tastes great with our sugar cookie recipe [LINK]. We actually made these adorable Christmas tree cookies with our sugar cookie recipe [LINK] and the American Buttercream icing recipe below.

Buttercream icing is really simple to make at home and recipes only a few ingredients. Now the recipe below does call for almond extract, but if you don’t like almond extract or you do not have any on hand, then you can skip this process. The icing will still taste absolutely delicious.

Want to know another reason why I love this recipe? Well it is actually gluten friendly. That is correct. It is made with gluten friendly products, and the recipe quickly be made into a keto friendly, diabetic friendly recipe [LINK]

Ingredients

  • Butter- ROOM Temperature
  • Powdered sugar
  • Vanilla extract
  • Almond extract (optional)

Important Tip When Making Vanilla Buttercream Icing

Your butter MUST be room temperature. We set our butter out the night before we make our icing. If you do not use room temperature butter, your icing will not be light and fluffy, and you will break the whip attachment for your mixer.

Do you know how your icing gets fluffy?

By adding air to the mixture

This means DO NOT skimp on the 10 minutes of whipping your icing. This incorporates the air needed to make a fluffy icing for your delicious cookies.

Did you know that adding air to the recipe is one of the key parts to making Vanilla American Buttercream Icing? As a matter of fact, the mixing method during a recipe is sometimes just as important as the ingredients. Seriously. We talk all about it in our article on Why the mixing method is important. [LINK]

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Vanilla American Buttercream

Learn how to quickly make Vanilla American Buttercream at home. Now, you no longer have to waste your money on store bought icing. Instead, make this recipe at home. It's so easy a 3- year-old can make it.
Prep Time 2 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 12 minutes
Course Dessert
Servings 45 cookies

Equipment

  • Mixer
  • Food Scale

Ingredients
  

  • 2 lbs butter, unsalted Room Temperature
  • 60 oz powdered sugar
  • 1.40 oz vanilla extract
  • .30 oz almond extract

Instructions
 

  • Place softened butter into the mixer and whip (using a whisk attachment) on medium speed until creamy.
  • Add in extracts and slowly mix until incorporated.
  • Turn to lowest speed and add in powdered sugar slowly. Mix until smooth, creamy, and fluffy.
  • Store in a labeled, airtight container at room temperature.

Notes

You can store in an airtight container on the counter if your health department allows. If you choose to store in the refrigerator, then make sure to bring the icing to room temperature and rewhip for 10 minutes before using it. 
 
This is because it is made from butter. Butter will solidify when placed back in the refrigerator which is why you need to let it sit back at room temperature. 
Keyword american buttercream, easy recipe, gluten friendly

Remember that most of our recipes are provided to you for a bakery. However, this recipe can be used at home, too. If you are looking to scale your recipe up or down, then remember to grab our conversion calculator here for quickly converting all of your recipes to meet your customer needs.


This is a great recipe that can be prepared now and used for later. You can use it to ice cakes and cookies. Remember to store it in an airtight container. Another way we use our buttercream icing is to practice our hand skills. Grab some wax paper, piping bags, and some buttercream icing. Take a few minutes to practice your hand skills. Once you are done, you can scrape the icing back off and store it in the Cambro for later use. This is great because you get to practice without having to waste product.


Don’t have time to make your own buttercream icing, we understand. Life can get busy and crazy. We actually sell a variety of different icings in our store. Grab your 1lb of icing here.

If you loved our great Vanilla Buttercream Icing, then you should definitely check out some of our other great recipes here. We are all about sharing some of the delicious recipes that we use for our products. We offer several of our recipes for FREE to you here, but we do have recipes for sale. If are looking to add new recipes to your collection, then come check out these recipes here.

Also, please make sure to drop us a comment below if you have tried our recipes, if you have questions, or if you just want to connect with us. You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest.

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