Butter Icing for Sugar Cookies

This was a wonderfully simple icing recipe. Instead of using the full tablespoon of vanilla I used just 1 tsp of almond flavoring and it turned out great, especially when paired with the cream cheese sugar cookies recipe from this site. Add a few drops of different colors, spoon into a ziploc baggie and I was good to go. After about 2-3 hours the icing hardened enough to stack the cookies.

I usually read the reviews first, and boy do I wish I had this time! I was in a hurry, so used 1 TBSP of Pure Vanilla Extract ... Oh My Gosh! I added Cherry Flavoring to try to hide the vanilla taste, as well as more margarine and powder sugar. Definitely NOT 1 TBSP of Vanilla! It was alright besides the strong, strong vanilla taste. Seems to set o.k. Pretty glaze w/red food coloring.

the flavor is good, but it didn't harden like i wish it would. the icing smeared after i placed the cookies in their bags...

Great recipe! I doubled the batch, only used 2 tsps of Vanilla (total) and subbed half-n-half for the milk (it makes the frosting stiffer). also in a double batch, I only used 2 1/4 cups confectioner's sugar. Frosting dried with in an hour, looks great, tastes even better!

This recipe was fast and turned out very creamy. However, it calls for WAY too much vanilla. Half the amount is a better guess.

The whole tablespoon of vanilla was too much-and without the foodcoloring, it makes brown icing. I would lessen the vanilla to a tsp., not a whole tablespoon.

Great glaze for anise cut outs. Note: Please use clear vanilla extract which is available at Michael's, etc. Clear vanilla prevents the brown icing!!

This is an easy and yummy recipe for frosting. It is a little too heavy on the vanilla, so I cut it back.

I think something is wrong with the measurements on this recipe. 1 TABLESPOON of Vanilla seems like it's too much. My sister and I tried it and all you can taste is the vanilla (WAY TOO STRONG).

Really good, and dries nicely. I only used 1 tsp of vanilla as a tablespoon seemed like too much.

Make sure your butter is really softened, if you stick your finger in the butter it should go straight through. The first time I made it, it was soft but not soft enough and I had to start over because I got lumps in the frosting. Other then that this is a great recipe for frosting, I only used 1 tsp of vanilla which I thought was plenty. Iced sugar cookies for valentines day, yummy

it worked GREAT for my cookies. As everybody said, I cut way back on the vanila and still felt it was a little to much... I will try with even less vanila next time. I did the mix and used liquid food coloring, and it worked fine.

Very good. I used more milk to make it more of a glaze that I could just dip the cookies in. Made it very easy! Loved it

MMMM, topped 'soft sugar cookies IV' from this site, so good and sweet. I don't have a sweet tooth normally, but my husband was craving sugar cookies, so i went for it, glad I did! This frosting was so good and easy. I used almond extract instead of vanilla, just personal preference. Also ended up adding more milk. I don't bake, but I may add these cookies and icing to my rotation!

This was a wonderful icing recipe. I doubled everything except the vanilla. One tablespoon of vanilla to a doubled icing recipe is plenty! The icing was a wonderful consistency (I did use extra milk) and the icing hardened after a few hours. Delicious!

I added almond instead of vanilla. Great frosting!

I would have given this a five star if it weren't for needing to adjust a couple of things. Primarily, definitely one teaspoon is plenty of vanilla extract. I followed the suggestion to substitute butter for cream cheese and I wouldn't make it any other way. With the substitutions, I would give it five stars.

Wonderful icing! I used only 1 tsp vanilla and refrigerated the cookies for 1 hour, hardening the icing to perfection. I gave the cookies half an hr to thaw after taking out of the fridge so they were soft when served.

This is the way I have always made my sugar cookie icing, without the measurements! You add more milk to the icing to get the consistency you desire. It's nice to finally have a recipe to follow.

Perfect! Great flavor, easy to work with, and dried hard. Just what I needed. Thank you!

Next time i might put in a little less vanilla but other than that this recipe is PERFECT!!!

Absolutely the best icing I have ever made!

Its fast and simple to make which is great. I made a few changes to improve it, so these are the changes I made: 1 tsp of PURE vanilla extract, 4 tablespoons of butter and 2-3 tablespoons of milk. But I still found it too sweet and tasted too much like wet icing sugar. But it worked as a last min icing recipe!

Excellent recipe. Use 1 TEASPOON of vanilla though

I am going to try to make this icing for some sugar cookies I am going to make on Sunday.... I have attempted to make icing before but it always comes out watery... I am glad it doesn't use (high) fructose corn syrup because lots of icing recipes do.... I'll see how it works out and rate it then (:

Yum yum!! I had no trouble whatsoever as is.

Love this icing! Great taste! Very easy to make and dries beautifully.

Delicious and so easy to make! Using 1 tsp almond extract instead of vanilla extract was a great decision. Thanks to others for the suggestion!

This is the standard icing recipe, however add an 8 oz pkg of cream cheese and 1 tsp of almond abstract. My family will all show up for this treat.

At the advice of another reviewer I substituted the butter with cream cheese in one batch...boy was it totally different and not in a good way. The butter makes the "Butter" Icing creamy and so tasty! At one point I added 1 tablespoon extra of butter and oh my goodness was it soooo creamy and flavorful. I really like how the little bit of extra butter cuts the taste of confectioners' sugar. A taste I don't care much for. I like the sweetness but it has a strange bite I don't like so the butter wipes it out! The kids in my son's 2nd grade class just loved it for their Heart shaped cookies on Valentine's day! They couldn't get enough of the red, pink & purple frosting. Thanks!

Re-analyze the amount of vanilla that is used. I think this should be 1 teaspoon, not tablespoon. And if you should decide to alter this and substitute some of the vanilla for another extract, do NOT use more than 1/4 tsp of another flavor.

This is really good. I used 2 tablespoons of butter and about one tablespoon of cream cheese. I also threw in a teaspoon or so of marshmallow fluff. It was smooth and creamy, yet hardened just enough to coat my sugar cookies well. I used it on the Cream Cheese Sugar Cookies on this site.

I also used cream cheese in place of the butter after reading the other reviews and playing around with the recipe. It doesn't taste like cream cheese. And, has a little nicer consistency. I don't like real sweet frosting. So, used 1/4 c. of flour in place of 1/4 c. of the powd. sugar. After I made this recipe a few times this Christmas, playing with the ingredients, I ended up being pleased wih the real vanilla (with about 1 3/4 tsp. clear van.), almond and then tried the cherry flavoring. All three were huge hits and set up very nicely and shiny within 2-3 hours. Of course it is winter and the dry heat probably helps. After changes, this is my new cookie frosting recipe. With them, the frosting tastes as good as the not too sweet sugar cookies I put it on.

TOOOOO much vanilla!!!!

Perfect. Delicious and creamy. I used Wilton's vanilla extract which doesn't turn the icing off-white. I also only used 1 teaspoon of extract. Yummy!

This is a great recipe. I agree with everyone else, I used a teaspoon- NOT a whole tablespoon of pure vanilla extract. I didn't have a problem with the brown icing with just a teaspoon. This makes a great thick frosting (my husband made it this way) but I thinned it out and it also made a terrific glaze. Thanks!

Eliminate the vanilla if you want white icing. If you want to color the icing black, make a chocolate icing by adding 1-T of baking cocoa with the powdered sugar. This made for a pretty, glossy icing.

So delicious and easy!

Tasty and sweet

same as Mel's

This was great! I did change the vanilla to just 1 tsp. The frosting hardened so that I could stack cookies but it also stayed soft inside. Yum!

This recipe is easy and taste great! I agree you only need a 1 teaspoon of vanilla. It is very creamy and easy to put on cookies. Thanks for the recipe. DC,Saegertown, Pa

I am reviewing this As Written- no modifications. The recipe calls for way to much vanilla extract. One teaspoon to one and a half would be fine. A whole tablespoon makes the frosting taste like extract. The consistency/end appearance were great but beware- don't follow the recipe to a T.

This is a great go to butter frosting recipe. No need to change anything. If I wanted cream cheese frosting, I would ask for a cream cheese recipe, no, this is super tasty and rich just the way it is.

Just for everyone's info out there - You can buy pastuerized egg whites for icing as well! Doesnt have to be powdered whites... Makes for a very shiny cookie icing when cookies are iced hot.

Really Great! Thanks so much!

Too much vanilla! Cut it back to about 1 tsp.

This is the best icing I've ever had!

I needed something quick and easy and this recipe worked great! And it was delicious too!

This recipe did not work for me... It didnt even turn into icing... It was a waste...

Delicious. I made this for sugar cookies for our cookie swap this year and the icing dried to allow me to over lap them on the tray without sticking, yet it didnt get hard and yucky. Super simple too...

This is a GREAT icing for cookies! Like everyone said...need to cut down on the vanilla...otherwise it's perfect! One complaint I used to get with icing was that it had that "shortening" taste..not this one...it just tastes buttery and YUMMY!!!...and SO EASY!!!

Good, easy recipe. I read the reviews that said 1 Tablespoon of vanilla was too much, so I used a teaspoon, which was recommended. I thought this wasn't enough so ended up using 2 teaspoons of vanilla. I did not use clear vanilla, so yes, it turned brownish but after I putthe food coloring in, it didn't matter.

Finally! I think I've found the perfect icing for sugar cookies. I've tried at least 10 different kinds over the years. Some aren't spreadable, others get too hard, others stay too soft. So far, on day 2, this icing is still perfect. Yummy and holds together well without getting too hard. Thanks so much!

Kids tested, mother approved. :) Super easy and quick.

This is a great cookie icing. I used on on cookies I made with the Easy Sugar Cookie recipe from Stephanie on this website. What a winner!

I listened to what everyone was saying about there being too much vanilla and I cut it back to 1 teaspoon. It was very good then. You do have to be careful when you use this type of icing because it is soft and creamy. Not the most convenient for tons of sugar cookies because of this. I will make it again.

I did cut the vanilla in half after reading the other reviews and it worked great. I also had to add a little extra milk to get the texture just right. Excellent icing, really good taste.

I couldn't get mine to look like the default picture. I actually had to add more powdered sugar to get it to the constancy I needed.

A perfect icing to go with sugar cookies. It comes out just right for decorating.

Perfect! I have issues with icing sometimes, but this worked just great. It's a miracle!

Very nice frosting! Tasty, and firms up well enough to transport the next day. It does begin to dry out a bit while frosting, but to soften it back up you can microwave it for a few seconds, or if in stainless bowls put on a low-heat burner for a few seconds (just be careful when handling). Will use again. Thanks for a great recipe!

Great recipe! It dries firm but not rock-like. The amount of vanilla was perfect flavor-wise, but it made the icing itself tan. It wasn't so dark that it couldn't be covered with food coloring, though.

Perfect! I have to admit..when I first made this recipe I was concerned that the icing wouldn't harden. This actually ended up helping the kids have time to work with their masterpieces (I've had some icings harden before you can really decorate!). This recipe has a great flavor and is perfect with "The Best Rolled Sugar Cookie" recipe!

This was very easy to make. I put added food coloring, put it in ziploc bags, cut the corner on the bag and enjoyed decorating the cookies!

This is 5 star but only with 1 TEASPOON of vanilla, as many others have said. Perfect on a soft sugar cookie cutout

This was very good and very easy. I just added as much milk as I needed for the consistency desired. Only added 1 tsp vanilla per reviews and no discoloration and no overwhelming taste.

This icing was simply delicious! Not one cookie left! How can butter be so darned good! Love it!!!

Easy, yummy and fun!

AMAZING!!!!! and super easy too :)

It was an ok recipe because i think there is somthing wrong with the measurement 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract. Maby you meant to put 1 teaspoon insted. it was better if you frosted the cookies and wauted till the next day to eat them.

I made this frosting, as well as JBS' "Sugar Cookie Icing" so that I'd have the other recipe's hard, shiny glaze, and this one for piping thick, tooth-decaying, sugary wonderful-ness. SOOO good! I changed the ratio of the ingredients ever so slightly (2 c. confec. sugar, 1/3 c. butter, 1 tsp. vanilla) and the end result was a gooey, delicious icing that I am anxious to use on other baked goods.

Used this icing on my homemade Christmas Cookies...it was great!! So far it is the closest thing I have found that resembles what my Mom used on her cookies when she made them.

I am really picky about buttercream icings and this one is amazing! My whole family loves it! It really helps to put it in the refrigerator so that it is easier to spread.

i used 1 teaspoon of vanilla. this is great icing! try lemon extract for half the flavoring. awesome!

I have been using this recipe for over a year and I still swear by it! It's the PERFECT recipe for decorating and for taste!

good standard recipe, USE CLEAR VANILLA EXTRACT so it doesn't discolor the icing... not so much milk too

Very good! Easy and smooth.

Excellent recipe I didn't reduce the vanilla but you definitely could. Also, the vanilla extract turns the icing a slightly brown color so I dyed it green.

Great icing! I used 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract (after reading other reviews). I also used a few drops of milk at a time until the icing reached the consistancy I wanted. This technique will give you greater control of the texture and thickness. Note: real vanilla may cost a little bit more, but is worth it compared to cheap imitation vanilla!

EXCELLENT!

SO GOOD! I love this. It tastes wonderful. the butter does magic. Though add food coloring, comes out brown without.

Super easy and fast! Although, it is a little sweet...maybe I'll add more butter next time (or maybe I'll ask around...cream cheese?). The consistency was perfect for icing my sugar cookies, though. I certainly not complaining!

use 1 tsp vanilla instead of 1T.

Perfect! Just what I was looking for. Thanks!

Extremely yummy! I made these for decorating a batch of Christmas sugar cookies and my friend and I who were decorating couldnt stop eating the icing straight from the icing press! It dries sort of brittle and the colors arent as vivid as say, royal icing ( sort of matte), but the taste makes up for it!

I followed the suggestion of a reviewer on the cream cheese sugar cookie recipe to use this butter icing recipe but replacing the vanilla extract with 1 tsp. of almond extract and then I thinned it out using an additional 2 to 3 T. of milk to get the consistancy I wanted, soooo good on the sugar cookies.

Will definitely use again. I doubled the recipe and then divided up to dye different colors, and it stays on the cookies quite well. Thanks!

WAY too much vanilla! I didn't read the reviews before making this icing and had to figure out how to make it taste like icing and not vanilla.

A GREAT buttery icing. It was spreadable and easy to pipe out for decoration. It was easy and tasty. A perfect icing for the perfect sugar cookie!

Good recipe but you have to modify it so I gave it less stars. I use heavy cream instead of milk and Disaronno liquor (mild almond flavor and not so dark in color) instead of the vanilla. The flavor is more delicate and allows you be able to taste the butter because why hide a good flavor? Butter tastes good.

Perfect icing with "Grandma Minnie's Old Fashioned Sugar Cookies." I have learned my lesson, and always read the reviews first -- took others advice and only used 1 tsp. vanilla extract. (Any more would have been WAY too much.) Quick, simple and easy to spread. THANKS!

Really great tasting recipe! If you want a soft icing, this is the one to go with.

I agree--not very buttery, more sugary. I added 1 T lime juice with some lime zest and just a hint of vanilla for a different twist for icing cookies.

One tablespoon vanilla extract ruins this recipe. Cut that back to one teaspoon and you have a winner here!

Great recipe for frosting!

Don't use 1 tablespoon of vanilla. Use just a teaspoon. YUCK!

Great recipe. i did cut down on the vanilla. this will be my go to Christmas cookie frosting from now on!

I loved this recipe. I read the reviews however, and decided to cut the vanilla back to 1 tbsp. Great recipe. One little pointer though for others like me who don't have a lot of frosting experience... don't melt your butter in the microwave. Just let it get to room temperature.