PieDay Friday: Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie in a Pretzel Crust

This decadent pie was inpired yet again by my pie loving brother-in-law Kevin! A perfect blend of salty and sweet, crunchy and creamy, this pie is sure to be a crowd pleaser.

Tips:

• Garnish with additional sugared pretzels by following the recipe for the pie crust, only don't crush the pretzels.  Mix together the melted butter and sugar and toss with whole pretzel sticks (or traditionaly shaped pretzels). Place, in a single layer, on a lightly greased baking sheet and bake at 350 for 8 minutes. Let cool and break up into bite sized pieces and sprinkle on top of pie just before serving.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie in a Pretzel Crust

Pretzel Crust

2 cups finely crushed pretzels

2/3 cup sugar

1 cup melted butter, more if needed

 

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and toss together, coating pretzels entirely. If the pretzels seem too dry, you can add an additional tablespoon of butter. Press firmly on bottom and sides of 9 inch pie pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 minutes. Cool completly.

Chocolate Layer

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon  light corn syrup

In a microwave safe bowl, melt chocolate chips and butter for 30 seconds and stir. Continue to microwave and stir at 15 second intervals until all chips are melted. Add cornsyrup and stir to combine. Pour warm chocolate mixture over cooled pretzel crust, spreading evenly with a spatula.  Let chocolate cool in pan before adding the mousse layer.

Peanut Butter Mousse

1 package cream cheese, softened

1 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup heavy cream, whipped

 

Beat together cream cheese, peanut butter, sugar, powdered sugar and vanilla. Gently fold in whipped cream. Spoon into pie pan, atop of cooled chocolate. Chill for 2 hours before serving.

S'more Bars

These gooey bars are so delicious and so easy they might become your new "go-to" recipe! The photo and recipe come from the Nestle website.

S'more Bars

1/2 cup whipping cream

1 3/4 cup s Milk Chocolate chips

3 1/2 cups miniature marshmallows
7 1/2 oz  chocolate covered graham crackers (like Keebler)

Heat cream in a medium saucepan over med-high heat until it just begins to bubble (about 2 minutes). Turn down heat to low and add chocolate chips, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat and let cool for 10 minutes. Stir in marshmallows, coating completly. Break or chop chocolate covered Graham crackers into bite size pieces and add to mixture, stirring well.
Line a 8 or 9 inch baking dish with foil and coat with cooking spray. Spread mixture into pan, pressing down lightly. Refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours. Cut into bars and store in an airtight container.

PieDay Friday-Butterscotch Meringue Pie

My sister, Katie is getting married this weekend so I've been a little busy and haven't had a chance to come up with a new pie recipe for today. Instead, I'm re-publishing a recipe I first posted back in September that some of you may of missed. It's one of my favorites and deserves another go-around as a Pieday Friday Recipe. Enjoy!



This is one of my favorite homeade pies! Some puddings made from scratch can taste bitter or overly sweet. This one is in perfect balance and while it includes a few steps, is very easy. The recipe itself is based on my mother-in-law's chocolate pudding/pie recipe. I altered some of the ingredients and flavors for this butterscotch pie but the technique and ratios remain.


My husband doesn't really like butterscotch in general so I decided to tell him it's a caramel pie and he loves it! The rich filling does offer a taste of caramlized sugar and that only adds to the appeal!



Butterscotch Meringue Pie

5 Tablespoons butter

1 cup brown sugar, packed
4 level tablespoons flour
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1/2 cup cream or half and half
3 large egg yolks, beaten (reserve whites for meringue)
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 Baked 9 inch pie crust, cooled
Meringue, recipe below


Melt butter in a medium saucepan and stir in brown sugar until butter is absorbed and mixture resembles apple butter. Remove from burner.

In a large bowl, whisk flour and salt with milk and cream, until smooth. Add beaten egg yolks and whisk until frothy. Add flour mixture to saucepan with sugar/butter mixture and whisk well. Return to burner and cook over medium-low heat until pudding thickens, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and mix in vanilla. Pour into baked pie crust. Top pie with meringue (recipe below) and spread all the way to crust edges.

Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and cool for 15 minutes. Cover with tented foil or plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving.


MERINGUE

3 egg whites (reserved from pie filling)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoons cream of tartar
6 tablespoons granulated sugar.


Begin beating egg whites with mixer and add cream of tartar. Gradually add sugar and vanilla, beating until stiff peaks form and stand on their own.

Bake Sale Brownies

I found this recipe in an America's Test Kitchen cookbook and just couldn't resist sharing it. The hardest part of this recipe is chopping the chocolate, and even that's not so bad! This recipe is unique in that it uses a foil sling in the pan so the brownies are easy to remove and cut into squares. In fact that's why they're called Bake Sale Brownies, they are easy to cut and take to a bake sale.

I'm typically partial to brownies from a box, and even with my first bite of these I wasn't so sure I would like them. Then an hour later I started to crave another one and over the next couple of days the cravings continued. I couldn't wait to make more!  Now when I want brownies, instead of reaching for a box I reach for this recipe.

Tips:

• You don't have to use the foil sling to bake these brownies. If you decide not to, reduce the cooking time to 20-25 minutes.It really does make them easier to cut and serve though.
• Only use unsweetened chocolate in this recipe, other chocolates cannot be substituted.
• For Peanut Butter Swirl brownies, take a 1/3 cup of peanut butter and drop spoonfuls of it over the brownie batter (while batter is in the pan). Using a knife, gently swirl peanut butter throughout batter to create swirls.

Bake Sale Brownies

1 stick butter, cubed

3 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup flour

In a medium bowl, combine butter and chopped chocolate. Melt in microwave, stirring often, for 1 to 3 minutes. Let mixture cool slightly.

In another large bowl, whisk together sugar, eggs, vanilla, baking powder and salt. Slowly whisk in the melted chocolate until smooth. Gently stir in the flour until no streaks remain.

Prepare a foil sling in an 8 inch square baking dish or pan by placing two sheets of foil perpendicular to one another over pan (one sheet of foil with the longest side going across, one sheet with the longest side going up and down), with the extra hanging over the sides of the pan. Push the foil flat into the corners and up the sides of the pan. Iron out as many wrinkles as you can, using your fingers.

Spray foil with cooking spray and pour batter into the dish.  Bake at 350 degrees for 22-27 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out with just a few crumbs. Let cool to room temp (about 2 hours), and remove brownies from pan by lifting up on the foil sling you created. Cut into squares.



Foil Sling Photo

This photo comes from Cooks Illustrated

Homemade Baking Mix

Homemade Baking Mix
9 cups flour

1/3 cup baking powder
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 cup shortening
1 tablespoon salt
1 cup powdered milk
2 teaspoons cream of tartar

Measure out all dry ingredients and place in a large mixing bowl or in a food processor.


Add the shortening. Cut in to the dry ingredients or use the pulse on a food processor.

Store in an airtight container. Use as you would in recipes calling for the mix. (e.g., for pancake mix 1 cup of mix with 1 egg and 3/4 cup milk)


From ehow.com

Bacon and Cheese Biscuits

These easy biscuits are perfect for brunch or as an appetizer. They also make a great addition to any dinner table! They're not too heavy, but are hearty enough that you can fill up on them fast!  Try slicing them in half and topping with eggs (scrambled, fried, poached, etc), for a delicious breakfast sandwich!

These biscuits are my adaption of a recipe found in one of my favorite Gooseberry Patch books, Flavors of Fall.  Speaking of Gooseberry Patch, I will actually have 5 recipes published in 3 different Gooseberry Patch books that will be released later this year. I'll fill you in on some of the delicious details closer to their release dates, so stay tuned!

Tips:

• You can substitute the bacon for 3/4 cup diced ham or Candian Bacon.
• Any type of shredded cheese will work for this recipe, stronger flavored cheeses work best though.
• Instead of using self rising flour and baking soda you may use a baking mix like Bisquick.
• I usually keep "spray butter" on hand just for biscuits. I spray each biscuit with a squirt before they go in the oven and another once they come out. It's an easy way to add flavor without adding fat or the hassle of melting, brushing and cleaning up real melted butter.
• Adjust the salt to your liking. I only added half a teaspoon to my first batch and found them way too bland. I decided that a teaspoon was about right for my tastes. 
• You can also try adding garlic powder, onion powder or cayenne pepper for an extra boost of flavor.

Bacon and Cheese Biscuits

2 cups self rising flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup milk
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon salt
5-7 slices crisply cooked bacon, diced
1 cup sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded

Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl and stir (you may need to use your hands). Grease a 12 "cup" muffin tin and fill each cup 3/4 full with dough. Bake 425 degrees for 15-18 minutes or until lightly golden. Brush with melted butter if desired and serve warm.

Polynesian Dip

This fun dip is a great way to use up leftover Sweet & Sour sauce.  
Tips:

• Try serving in a hollowed out Hawiian bread bowl for a cute presentation!

Polynesian Dip

1 8oz package Cream Cheese, softened

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup sweet and sour sauce

1 8oz can crushed pineapple, drained
3/4 cup Canadian Bacon, diced
1/3 cup green onions, diced
1 cup Swiss Cheese, grated

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and stir well. Serve chilled or warmed in a crock, with crackers or Hawiian Bread.

PieDay Friday-Root Beer Float Pie

The flavor of a cold Root Beer Float in the form of a pie, can it get any more fun?! The inspiration from this pie came from my brother-in-law Kevin, and what a great idea it was!

Tips:

• For the pudding, using half/half or cream helps to thicken the pudding since root beer is being used instead of milk. 
• Don't use diet root beer, diet soft drinks don't do as well when baking as regular soft drinks. When heated, the aspartame tends to do funny things.
• For the Whipped Topping, you can also use 2 packets of Dream Whip, 1/4 cup root beer, 1/2 cup half/half and 1/2 teaspoon root beer extract. Prepare with these ingredients according to the directions on the box.
• Root Beer extract can be found at most grocery stores near the vanilla extracts. It typically comes in a slightly bigger bottle than other flavorings though. If your local grocery store doesn't have it, Wal-Mart does as do many craft stores that have a candy making section.
• Root Beer Barrel candies can also be found in many grocery stores. Usually in a hanging bag with candies like gummy worms and red hots. You may also find them with Brachs' bulk candy (candy priced by the pound).
• To crush the Root Beer Barrels, I put about 4 in a plastic bag and hit them with a meat mallet.

Root Beer Float Pie

1 6oz box vanilla pudding mix

1/2 can Root Beer (6 1/2 oz)
1 cup half and half or cream

1 graham cracker pie crust

Whipped Cream Topping

1 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon root beer extract

Crushed Root Beer Barrel Candies for Garnish, optional

Combine root beer, half/half, and pudding mix in a large saucepan and bring to a slow boil over medium heat. Whisk continously until thickened. Pour pudding into pie crust and chill.

Meanwhile prepare the Whipped Cream Topping by whipping cream until almost stiff. Add sugar and root beer extract, continue to beat until cream holds peaks. Spoon on top of cooled pie, spreading out to the edges. Garnish with crushed root beer barrel candies if desired. Refrigerate, loosely covered until ready to serve.

Italian Style Meatloaf

This meatloaf is nothing more than one giant meatball. The ingredients are the same, the only difference is the shape and cooking method. So instead of the labor intensive Sunday Dinner style meatballs you crave on busy Tuesday night, why not do half the work and still enjoy the same taste you so desire?

Tips:

• You can add green peppers, diced onions or garlic to this dish as well. Add 5 minutes of cook time for about every 1/2 cup of fresh veggies used.
• Seasoning is all a matter of taste, so use spices and seasonings at your discretion.
• Use the same tomato sauce you would use to make spaghetti or lasagna. Homemade or from a jar, it's up to you.
• The size of the egg, the fat content of the ground beef, the humidity in your kitchen can all have an effect on how exactly how much of the breadcrumbs you will need. When adding breadcrumbs, you want the mixture to be able to hold a loaf shape easily.  Though, if you add too much the meatloaf will be dry. Start with a 1/3 cup (as stated in the recipe below) and if the mixture is too soft or mushy, add a couple of tablespoons at a time until the desired consitency is achieved.
• If desired add 1/4 cup of shredded Mozzarella Cheese to the top of the meatloaf during the last 5-10 minutes of cooking.
• I like to serve this with Buttered Parmesan noodles and garlic bread.

Italian Style Meatloaf

1 lb ground beef

1/3 cup Italian Seasoned Breadcrumbs, more if needed

1 egg, beaten

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan Cheese
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon basil
Salt and pepper as desired
3/4 cup Tomato (Pasta) Sauce, divided

In a large mixing bowl combine ground beef, breadcumbs, egg, Parmesan and seasonings. Using your hands, mix thoroughly. Add more breadcrumbs if mixture seems too "soft". Form into a loaf shape and place in a lightly greased, baking dish. Coat with 1/2 cup pasta sauce. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes then baste with remaining sauce. Continue baking for another 10 minutes.  Serve warm with pasta if desired.

Sweet and Sour Sauce

Homemade sweet and sour sauce is so easy to make and tastes so much better than the day-glo stuff you buy at the grocery store.  This recipe is a pretty basic one that can be easily cutomized to your tastes (see tips for suggestions). Perfect for dipping or to glaze chicken or pork,  this versatile little sauce just might become a new staple in your kitchen!

  

Tips:

• Try adding some of these other ingredients for a variation on the basic sauce: 1/4 cup diced green peppers or 1/4 cup diced red onion or 1/4 teaspoon dried ginger or 1 tablespoon minced garlic or 1 teaspoon sriracha chili sauce or 1/4 teaspoon grated orange peel or 1/2 teaspoon mustard powder.  I would start by making the original the first time and then come back and add one or many of these ingredients to suite your palate.
• The soy sauce can be increased or decreased, depending on how sweet you want the sauce. The recipe below is nice starting place for the first time you make it.
• I like to use organic ketchup since it doesn't contain any high fructose corn syrup.  The sauce doesn't end up quite as sweet that way either. Regular ketchup works just fine though.

Sweet and Sour Sauce

1/3 cup cider vinegar

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup pineapple juice

1/3 cup water
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons ketchup
2 tablespoons cornstarch

Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan, stirring frequently and bring to a soft boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and stir continuously until thickened.



Look for a recipe to be posted next week that uses this sauce in a fun, new way!

Maple Monday-Glazed Maple Cookies

Well, this will be the last Maple Monday for a while. The seasons have changed and it's time for something a little different. This doesn't mean that Maple Mondays won't be back though! I may post an occasional one here and there over the next few months and may bring it back for a while when the frost is on the pumpkin. You may have noticed that on Friday I posted a recipe with the label PieDay Friday. Every Friday for the next few weeks, you can expect a new pie recipe! This endeavor will make Mr. PumpkinTart a very happy husband! He's not a huge fan of maple but has been force fed maple flavored everything, at least once a week for the last several months. However, he has no problem scarfing down a slice or two of pie week! He said the only thing better than a PieDay Friday would be a Big, Juicy Steak Saturday! After I finished rolling my eyes, I went back to rolling my pie crust.

This amazing cookie recipe comes courtesy of the Sparkling Ink blog, as adapted from a Martha Stewart recipe. These dainty little cookies are a maple lovers dream! The cookie itself, is the consistency of a classic peanut butter cookie but with a delicate maple flavor. The maple reduction glaze topped with coarse sea salt takes these gems to whole other level of pure maple goodness!

Glazed Maple Cookies

1 1/2 cup flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup  butter, room temp

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup maple syrup
1 egg yolk

Maple Reduction Glaze1/4 cup  maple syrup
sea salt, for topping


In a medium bowl, beat softened butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add in maple syrup, egg yolk and salt and mix to combine. Gradually add in the flour. Beat until completely combined and mixture is crumbly.
Using your hands, form the dough into 1 1/2 inch balls. Place the balls 2 inches apart on two baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Flatten the cookies using the bottom of a glass or mug. Bake the cookies at 350 degrees for 12-14 minutes or until the edges turn slightly golden. Let cool before removing from baking sheets.

While the cookies are cooling, prepare the glaze. In a small pan, bring the maple syrup to a boil and simmer until it has reduced to about 3/4 of the original amount. Spoon the thickened maple syrup on top of the cookies and sprinkle with coarse sea salt.  Let the glaze set for a few minutes before serving.



Photgraph by Sparkling Ink....my picture wasn't quite as pretty!

PieDay Friday-Mrs. Pettit's Cottage Cheese Pie

At Easter last weekend, my cousins, sisters, brothers-in-law and I began talking about pies. I told them I wanted to start posting a weekly pie recipe here at Pumpkin Tart and the ideas came rolling in. They gave me suggestions for every type of pie imaginable. From Kevin's inspired Root Beer Float Pie (coming soon!) to the...uh, hmm shall we say "odd", Mozzarella Cheesestick Pie (Addison, I love ya but you're nuts)!  Fun and Funky, Weird and Mouth-Watering, I'm excited to challenge myself and come up with recipes for all of them. Well, most of them!

The first of my PieDay Friday recipes comes from my wonderful cousins, Kayla and Krista. This recipe was lovingly passed down to them from their Grandma Jean, who was an amazing cook (her meatballs beat any reastaurant's, hand's down)! Her Cottage Cheese Pie is one of their family's favorites, and I'm happy to say that it is now one of mine as well!

Like my cousins, this pie is sweet and unique. Don't let the fact that it's made with cottage cheese dissuade you from making it. The end result tastes nothing like cottage cheese. Like it's relative the Italian Ricotta Pie, it tastes like a baked custard with just a slightly different texture.


Tips:

• The original recipe didn't call for pre-baking the crust, but I went ahead and par-baked the crust at 375 for 5 minutes before filling it and it turned out great.  
• As my cousin Kayla suggested, I added lots of cinnamon on top (probably close to a tablespoon) and it was heavenly! So you can really go for it when adding the cinnamon. I'm sure nutmeg or pumpkin pie spice would work well also.
• For a basic pie crust recipe click on the link provided below or just click HERE

Mrs. Pettit's Cottage Cheese Pie

1 unbaked pie crust

1 16oz container small-curd cottage cheese

3 eggs

3/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1-1/3 cup milk
Cinnamon to sprinkle on top

Beat eggs lightly; add remaining ingredients(excluding cinnamon) and stir to combine.  Pour filling into prepared pie crust. Generously sprinkle cinnamon on top of pie. Bake for 10 minutes at 425º, then reduce heat to 350º for 45 minutes. Test with a knife for custard texture. Let cool slightly and chill at least 3 hours before serving.

Blueberry Sour Cream Coffee Cake

Straight from the Duncan Hines website, this wonderfully moist coffee cake is as easy as it is delicious.


Blueberry Sour Cream Coffee Cake

1 pkg  Blueberry Muffin Mix

1/4 cup sour cream

1/2 cup milk
2 large eggs
1/4 cup blueberry preserves

Glaze:
1/2 cup Duncan Hines® Creamy Home-Style Classic Vanilla Frosting

 
Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease 8- or 9-inch round cake or pie pan. Rinse blueberries from mix with cold water and drain.

For coffee cake combine muffin mix, sour cream, milk, and egg in medium bowl. Stir until servings are moistened. Spread half the batter in pan.

Combine blueberries and preserves in small bowl. Spread half the blueberry mixture on top of the batter. Spread remaining batter over blueberry mixture. Spread remaining blueberry mixture on top, avoiding edges.

Bake for 40 to 45 minutes for 8 inch pan (25 to 30 minutes for 9 inch pan) or until golden.

For glaze, place frosting in microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high power for 15 seconds. Stir until smooth. Drizzle over hot coffee cake. Serve warm.

Maple Monday-Maple Orange Glazed Ham Steaks

This recipe is nice for any leftover ham you may have from Easter. For a whole glazed ham check out my Pineapple Ham Glaze recipe.
 
Maple-Orange Glazed Ham Steaks

4-6 ham steaks (or slices), 1/2 inch thick

1/4 cup orange marmalade
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup orange juice

Coat a large skillet with cooking spray or 1 tablespoon of butter. Heat skillet over med-high heat until hot.  Cook ham 2 - 3 minutes on each side or until lightly browned.
Add marmalade, maple syrup and orange juice to skillet, stirring until marmalade "melts". Reduce heat to med-low and simmer 5 - 6 minutes or until ham is glazed is sauce is thick and bubbly.

Billy's Vanilla Vanilla Cupcakes

This recipe comes from Billy Reece of Billy's Bakery in New York. They  are simply incredible! Truly they are one of the best cupcakes I've ever had and certainly the best I've ever made!  They make such a pretty table decoration for Easter, Spring or any day you feel like a cupcake!
I do want to say though that using the EXACT ingredients that this recipe calls for makes a huge difference. It calls for cake flour, real butter, whole milk or half and half and Pure Vanilla Extract. Don't skimp and use imitation vanilla or margarine. The cupcake's flavor and texture rely on using these ingredients.

Tips:

• As I stated above, use the exact ingredients the recipe calls for. Pure Vanilla Extract is integral to the flavor of these cupcakes. Without real butter and whole milk the cake and frosting won't set up correctly.
• Make sure the butter  is well incorporated. It has a tendency to sink to the bottom. The cupcakes will turn out dry if it isn't properly mixed through.
• The instructions don't say it explicity but you cook 1 pan of 12-15 cupcakes at a time and repeat with remaining batter.  This recipe should yeild 24-30 cupcakes.

Billy's Vanilla Vanilla Cupcakes

1 3/4 cups cake flour, not self-rising

1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon plus 1/4 teaspoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, slightly softened and cut into 1-inch cubes
4 large eggs
1 cup whole milk or half and half
1 teaspoon Pure vanilla extract
Billy's Vanilla Buttercream Frosting, recipe below
Colored Sprinkles, for decorating, optional

1.Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line cupcake pans with paper liners; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine flours, sugar, baking powder, and salt; mix on low speed until combined. Add butter, mixing until just coated with flour.

2.In a large glass measuring cup, whisk together eggs, milk, and vanilla. With mixer on medium speed, add wet ingredients in 3 parts, scraping down sides of bowl before each addition; beat until ingredients are incorporated but do not overbeat.

3.Divide batter evenly among liners, filling about 2/3 full. Bake, rotating pan halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 17 to 20 minutes.

4.Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat process with remaining batter. Once cupcakes have cooled, use a small offset spatula to frost tops of each cupcake. Decorate with sprinkles, if desired. Serve at room temperature.

Billy's Buttercream Frosting

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

6 to 8 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup milk or half and half
1 teaspoon Pure vanilla extract

1.In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter until smooth and creamy, 2 to 3 minutes. With mixer on low speed, add 6 cups sugar, milk, and vanilla; mix until light and fluffy. If necessary, gradually add remaining 2 cups sugar to reach desired consistency.  Seperate into bowls and color with food coloring if desired.

Buttercream Frosting

Buttercream Frosting

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
6 to 8 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup milk or half and half
1 teaspoon Pure vanilla extract


In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter until smooth and creamy, 2 to 3 minutes. With mixer on low speed, add 6 cups sugar, milk, and vanilla; mix until light and fluffy. If necessary, gradually add remaining 2 cups sugar to reach desired consistency. Seperate into bowls and color with food coloring if desired.