Peppermint Buttercream Frosting

Add the perfect touch to your holiday baking with this delicious peppermint frosting.

Ingredients

In a large bowl, beat the shortening and butter with an electric mixer on a medium speed 2-3 minutes or until well combined.
Gradually add the powdered sugar, one cup at a time, beating well between each addition, until the frosting appears smooth. When all the sugar has been mixed in, the frosting will appear dry.
Add the milk, peppermint extract, salt, and vanilla. Beat at medium speed 3-4 minutes or until light and fluffy.

Make sure to use room temperature butter: Room temperature butter is crucial to creating perfect buttercream every time. To test if your butter is ready, press your finger into the butter. If your finger makes an indent but doesn’t slide around, you’re good to go. If your finger comes out greasy or goes through the butter too easily, your butter is likely too soft. Read more about how to soften butter effectively here.

Frosting needed for cupcakes:
- If you’re frosting cupcakes with a spatula, this recipe should be able to frost 36 cupcakes (1 cup per 12 cupcakes)
- If you’re piping swirls onto cupcakes, this recipe should be able to frost 18 cupcakes (1 cup per 6 cupcakes)
Top with crushed peppermint or candy canes: Top your baked goods with candy canes or crushed peppermint candies for a festive holiday touch

To Color: Use Icing Colors or food coloring to tint frosting to any color without disturbing the consistency of the frosting.

To Store: Leftover frosting can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. Frosting can also be frozen for up to three months. Bring frosting back to room temperature and re-whip using a paddle attachment until it’s the correct consistency before reusing.

11 of Our Best Buttercream Icing Flavors
Sweet, creamy, kinda dreamy…buttercream icing flavors paired with the right dessert can take an ordinary bake and turn it into something really extraordinary. We’ve collected 11 of our best buttercream flavors in one post to give you some serious inspiration and take buttercream’s base recipe to another level!
32 Christmas Cupcake Ideas
Who says Santa doesn’t love cupcakes just as much as he loves cookies? Christmas cupcakes are perfect for sharing and a super fun family decorating activity. Whether you’re after an easy red and green cupcake recipe or extravagantly classy cupcake ideas, you’ve come to the right place. We’ve compiled all our favorite Christmas-themed cupcake designs and recipes into one perfectly cultivated Christmas list.
How to Make Flavored Buttercream Frosting
Wondering how to take your cake to the next level? Up your frosting intensity with flavor! From traditional vanilla extract to gin or whiskey, this list of buttercream flavor add-ins makes it easy and fun to experiment in the kitchen.
How to Make Beautiful Buttercream Flowers
We can almost hear Miranda Priestly. “Florals? For spring? Groundbreaking.” Except we think these amazing, life-like buttercream flowers truly are something special.