The best fluffy vanilla sugar cookie buttercream frosting! With a blend of vanilla and almond extract, this recipe is perfect for spreading on soft cut out sugar cookies to make the ultimate buttery and creamy Valentine's, Christmas, or birthday cookies!
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When it comes to sugar cookies, I am particular about which types of frostings I pair with cut out sugar cookies depending on the different occasions. Between royal icing, easy sugar cookie icing, cream cheese frosting, and this sugar cookie buttercream - there's a time and a place for each.
And this creamy and buttery buttercream is perfect for when you want to make fancy-looking, bakery-style cookies without spending hours intricately icing cookies with royal icing. The trick to getting this buttercream nice and fluffy is starting with room temperature butter and using an electric mixer to whip.
Don't feel like frosting individual cookies? Make my Frosted Sugar Cookie Bars in a 9x13 pan instead!
Ingredients for Sugar Cookie Buttercream Frosting
- Butter, softened to room temperature
- Powdered Sugar
- Vanilla Extract & Almond Extract
- Salt
- Food Coloring, if desired
How to Make Sugar Cookie Buttercream Frosting
Step 1: In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to whip the butter on high speed for 3-4 minutes until light and fluffy. (If you have a Kitchenaid mixer, use the paddle attachment on speed 4.)
It is important to start with softened, room-temperature butter for this recipe in order to get the creamy, fluffy texture. (See photo below for reference on what butter should look like after being whipped.)
Step 2: After the 3-4 minutes, keep the mixer on high speed and add in the vanilla extract, almond extract, and salt. Turn the mixer down to low speed and slowly add in the powdered sugar ½ cup at a time until it is all incorporated.
Once all powdered sugar is worked in, add food coloring then turn the mixer back up to high speed and beat for 2-3 minutes until it is light, creamy, and fluffy.
Tip: To achieve this light pink color, I dipped the tip of a toothpick in red food coloring then did 1 swipe through the frosting. For a more in-depth look at achieving a light, blush pink, check out my post on how to make light pink frosting.
Step 3: Use a offset spatula to generously spread frosting onto cooled cookies or place frosting in a large piping bag with a large star tip for more intricate decorating.
For a rosette shape, start in the center and swirl the piping tip around to the outside. For a more traditional swirl (like shown below), start from the outside and swirl the piping inward to create a peak.
Step 4: Immediately after frosting, top with sprinkles! You want to do this right after frosting, otherwise the frosting will start to develop a slight crust.
See FAQ section below for storing instructions.
Don't feel like frosting individual cookies? Make my Frosted Sugar Cookie Bars in a 9x13 pan instead!
Frequently Asked Questions
Will this buttercream frosting harden?
The frosting will develop a slight crust if left sitting out (or when refrigerated), but it won't completely harden. Which means you don't want to stack them if piping swirls. For my tips on how to stack non-piped cookies (like the photo below), see my guide on how to freeze sugar cookies.
Does this buttercream frosting need to be refrigerated?
Although the amount of sugar will stabilize the butter (meaning you could technically leave them at room temperature for 2-3 days), I recommend refrigerating these so that the frosting doesn't "melt" down and flatten out.
Can I freeze buttercream frosting?
If you have leftover frosting, you can freeze it in a plastic freezer bag for 2-3 months. Just make sure all the air is out of the bag. When ready to use, thaw the bag in the refrigerator and once it's soft, place frosting back in bowl and beat for 2-3 minutes.
Note that frosting may not become as fluffy as before, so this method is typically best when you just want to spread the frosting vs. pipe it. To freeze frosted cookies, see my guide on how to freeze sugar cookies.
What sugar cookie recipe should I pair this with?
I use this sugar cookie buttercream frosting to top my soft & thick cut out sugar cookies. This frosting recipe will make about 2 cups of frosting, enough to generously frost about (24) 2.5" sized round cookies.
What vanilla extract do you recommend?
Although I typically recommend a clear-colored extract when making white buttercream icing, you can also use a pure vanilla extract. My favorite brands are Nielsen Massey, Watkins, and Rodelle.
Sugar Cookie Buttercream Frosting
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ - 1 ½ teaspoons almond extract *adjust to your taste preference (some brands are stronger than others); I like a prominent almond flavor but you can use less for a less strong flavor
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- Food Coloring
Before you begin! If you make this, will you do me a huge favor and leave a review and rating letting me know how you liked this recipe? This helps my small business thrive so I can continue providing free recipes and high-quality content for you.
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whip unsalted butter (1 cup; i.e. 2 sticks) for 3-4 minutes until light and fluffy on high speed.
- Whip in vanilla extract (2 teaspoons), almond extract (*½ - 1 ½ teaspoons), and salt (¼ teaspoons).
- On medium/low speed begin adding in powdered sugar (3 cups) half cup at a time until all is incorporated.
- Mix at high speed for 2-3 minutes until nice and creamy.
- Spread on top of cookies or place frosting in a large piping bag with a large star tip to achieve a more intricate design. To pipe the swirl, start from the inside and swirl to the outside.
- Makes 2 cups of frosting, which is enough to generously frost about (24) 2.5" circle cookies.
Last Step! Please leave a review and rating letting me know how you liked this recipe! This helps my small business thrive so I can continue providing free recipes and high-quality content for you.
Notes
Nutrition
This sugar cookie buttercream frosting is perfect for Valentine's Day cookies! For these adorable bite-sized heart cookies, I used Sugarbelle's Multi Heart Cutter and spread on pink buttercream.
Dye the buttercream frosting any color and top with sprinkles for perfect Christmas, halloween, baby shower, or birthday cookies!
Nancy says
Never tried almond flavor WITH the vanilla but it added a more complex taste! Also used to add “needed milk” to thin out but if you beat the butter well enough, it’s not necessary. Good tip to be able to freeze leftover frosting!
Melissa says
I'm so glad you enjoyed the Sugar Cookie Buttercream recipe, Nancy! Thanks so much for leaving a review!
Laurie Olson says
I think this recipe for buttercream frosting is one of the best I've ever tried!
Melissa says
Yay! I am so glad you loved the Sugar Cookie Buttercream recipe, Laurie! Thank you for taking time to leave a review. I appreciate it!
Karen Robinson says
The best buttercream frosting I have tried. I will be using it on my Tik Tok pecan cinnamon rolls for Christmas morning!
Melissa says
I'm so glad you enjoyed the Sugar Cookie Buttercream recipe, Karen! I hope it was as delicious on your cinnamon rolls! Thanks for taking time to leave a review!
Mary says
Delicious and super easy!
Melissa says
I'm so glad you enjoyed the Sugar Cookie Buttercream Frosting, Mary! Thank you for leaving a review. I appreciate it!
Sandy says
I’ve been making frosting for decades and this is THE BEST!!
Melissa says
Thank you for the kind compliment, Sandy! I'm so glad you enjoy the Sugar Cookie Buttercream Frosting recipe. Thanks so much for taking time to leave a review!
CDixon says
Followed the timing on the directions:) ...and it turned out very light and fluffy!! I didn't have almond:/ so I doubled my vanilla and added another pinch of salt. I'll definitely make this again and add the almond flavoring!!
Melissa says
I'm so glad you enjoyed the Sugar Cookie Buttercream recipe! Thanks so much for taking time to leave a review!
Deb says
I made two batches the second batch I added the maximum amount of almond extract. I like the second batch better, but both were excellent.Thank you for including the measurements in the recipe it saves so much time I will be making this again. :0)
Melissa says
I'm so glad you enjoyed the cookie frosting, Deb! Thanks so much for taking time to leave a review!
Kristen says
Great recipe! I made 1.5x (3 cups butter & 4.5 cups powdered sugar) to have enough to fill, frost and decorate an 8x8” square cake. This came up light and fluffy, but still stiff enough to pipe without drooping. The amount of salt in the recipe is nice because it cuts the sweetness enough so it does not taste sickeningly sweet like some frostings do. It forms a nice crust on it. If you wanted it a little lighter, you could add in a a tablespoon or two of milk or cream. This will be my go-to recipe for a basic buttercream
Melissa says
Thanks so much for adding this to your go-to recipes, Kristen! Thank you for taking time to leave a review!
Janet says
How long can I store this
Melissa says
Hi, Janet! You can leave it at room temperature for the day. If you need to leave it out for more than the day, you'll want to refrigerate the frosting in an airtight container. Just bring to room temperature when you are ready to frost your cookies!
Mary says
Very good and easy to make
Melissa says
I'm so glad you enjoyed the cookie buttercream, Mary! Thanks so much for taking time to leave a review!
Koren says
Buttercream delicious, easy to spread
Melissa says
I'm so glad you enjoyed the Sugar Cookie Buttercream Frosting recipe, Koren! Thanks so much for leaving a review!
Cindi says
Perfect! Thank you!!!!’
Melissa says
I'm so glad you enjoyed the Sugar Cookie Buttercream Frosting, Cindi! Thanks so much for taking time to leave a review!
Judy says
This is delicious and easy to make.
Melissa says
I'm so glad you enjoyed the sugar cookie frosting, Judy! Thanks so much for leaving a review!
Cheryl Rawson says
Great tasting and easy to spread. My 4 and 7 year old granddaughters helped me ice our pumpkin sugar cookies.
Melissa says
I'm so glad you liked this buttercream recipe, Cheryl! Thanks so much for taking time to leave a review!
Mary says
This recipe tasted so much better than royal icing
Melissa says
So happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe, Mary! Thank you so much for leaving a review!
Jackie says
Best buttercream I have ever made!! Amazing!! Spread it on sugar cookies and oh my word! Delicious!! Thank you 🙏
Melissa says
Yay, I'm so happy you loved this recipe! Thanks so much for leaving a review, Jackie!
Holly says
This was a perfect frosting for our orange and cinnamon swirl cookies. Not too sweet like most buttercream!
Bev says
Perfectly smooth, perfectly spreadable on cookies and perfectly delicious. Takes a lot of mixing time so I’d definitely recommend using a stand mixer so you can multitask.
Melissa says
Thank you so much for leaving a review, Bev! I really appreciate it!
Emily says
So yummy!! The almond extract 👌🏽 do you have to refrigerate left overs?
Melissa says
I'm so glad you love the Sugar Cookie Buttercream Frosting recipe, Emily! There is enough sugar in the recipe to keep it shelf stable for awhile. It should be ok covered on the counter for the day or so. After that, I would refrigerate it. When you're ready, you can just bring it to room temp before using. Hope that helps. Thanks so much for taking time to leave a review. I appreciate it!
Ruby says
This really brought my Christmas sugar cookies up a notch. I'm thinking of using this frosting to frost vanilla cupcakes for my birthday.
Melissa says
Yum, I think this would work great on cupcakes as well! So glad you enjoyed this recipe, Ruby! Thank you so much for leaving a review!