This homemade Peppermint Frosting is a nice sweet, lightly minty frosting that is perfect paired with your holiday baking. It’s delicious on cookies, cakes, cupcakes, and more!
This easy Peppermint Buttercream Frosting is made with only 6 ingredients, and in just a few minutes. Its a perfect festive addition to your holiday baking, by simply adding peppermint extract!
Why make this Recipe
- Festive Peppermint Flavor – With the addition of peppermint extract (don’t use spearmint or mint extract) this frosting has the perfect refreshing mint flavor that is perfect for the holiday season!
- Quick and Easy – With just 6 ingredients, this frosting is made in about 10 minutes with a stand mixer, or hand mixer!
- Versatile – This frosting is great for adding to so many different desserts, pair it with your favorite chocolate desserts, like chocolate cupcakes, or sugar cookies, peppermint cookies, or even spread it on your cinnamon rolls for a minty twist.
Ingredients Needed
This is a quick overview of the ingredients you’ll need for this Peppermint Frosting Recipe. Specific measurements and full recipe instructions are in the printable recipe card below.
- Unsalted Butter – adds a rich buttery flavor, and smooth texture to the frosting. (You can sub salted butter and skip the added salt)
- Powdered Sugar – sweetens the frosting and thickens it all up
- Peppermint Extract – do not use mint or spearmint extract which will both taste like toothpaste.
- Vanilla Extract – adds a nice light vanilla flavor, you can use a clear imitation vanilla extract if you’re worried about the white color. But pure vanilla extract works great.
- Heavy Cream – helps make the frosting nice and fluffy
- Salt – just a dash to balance out the flavor
How to make Peppermint Buttercream Frosting
Step 1: Beat the butter until smooth. Add the softened butter to a large bowl, or the bowl of a stand mixer and beat with an electric mixer until the butter is nice and smooth.
Step 2: Add in the powdered sugar. Slowly add in the powdered sugar while mixing on low speed to keep it from shooting over the sides of the bowl. Mix until combined. Scrape down the bottom of the bowl as needed.
Step 3: Mix in the remaining ingredients. Mix in the cream, vanilla extract, peppermint extract and salt, and stir until well combined. Continue mixing for 3 to 4 minutes until the frosting is fluffy, and smooth. (If you want to use food coloring, add it in this step) Stir the frosting with a rubber spatula by hand, to get out the air bubbles, so it will spread smoother on your desserts.
Step 4: Frost your desserts. Pipe or spread your frosting your frosting onto your desired dessert. Pipe them on cupcakes, cookies, spread on a cake, etc.
Tips and Tricks
- Add Peppermint Sparingly – Start with just a little peppermint extract and add more to taste. It’s a strong flavor and a little goes a long way. The flavor will also get stronger over time, so if you’re not serving the dessert right away, add until its a nice light mint flavor.
- Adjust for Texture – Add a little more powdered sugar to thicken the frosting, or a little more cream to make it thinner as needed. Add only about 2 – 4 TBS of powdered sugar at a time, or 1/2 TBS of heavy cream.
- Food Coloring – Add a couple drops of red or green food coloring as desired to make a tinted frosting for different desserts. You can also tint half your frosting and add lines of both to a piping bag to get a nice red and white swirl.
- Quantity – This recipe makes about 2.5 cups of frosting, enough for about 14 cupcakes, one 9×13 cake, or about 28 cookies (depending on sizes and how thick you frost).
Storage Instructions
Store any leftover frosting, or before using store the frosting in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week. Bring to room temperature, and re-whip before using on your desserts.
The frosted desserts do not need to be kept in the fridge, after frosting your cake, cupcakes, cookies, cover the desserts, or store in an airtight container with a lid, as long as those desserts will last, probably 4-5 days.
This peppermint frosting can be such a festive addition to your holiday baking, and will be such a nice addition to your holiday festivities. Adding the perfect finishing touch to your holiday party desserts, or cookie trays.
More Mint Desserts
- Chocolate Mint Fudge
- Peppermint Kiss Cookies
- Peppermint Bark Muddy Buddies
- Peppermint Brownie Cookies
- Peppermint Ice Cream // LMLD
- Peppermint Meringue Cookies // LMLD
If you try this Peppermint Frosting Recipe, please leave a 🌟 rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. I love hearing from you!
Peppermint Frosting
Ingredients
For Peppermint Frosting:
- 1 cup unsalted butter (softened)
- 3.5 cups powdered sugar (sifted)
- 3-4 TBS heavy cream
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp peppermint extract
- 1 dash salt
- 1/2 cup crushed candy cane pieces.
Instructions
For Peppermint Frosting:
- Add the butter to a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, or large mixing bowl with a handheld mixer. Beat it for 1 to 2 minutes until smooth. 1 cup unsalted butter
- Add in the powdered sugar, one cup at a time, mixing on low speed until each cup is mixed in completely. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. 3.5 cups powdered sugar
- Add in the heavy cream (starting with 3 TBS), and the vanilla extract, peppermint extract, and salt. Mix on medium speed until everything is well combined. 3-4 TBS heavy cream, 1/2 tsp vanilla extract, 1/4 tsp peppermint extract , 1 dash salt
- Mix the frosting for another 2 to 3 minutes at medium speed until the frosting is smooth and fluffy. Add a little more powdered sugar, or heavy cream as needed to get the right consistency.
- Spread the frosting onto the cooled cookies, and sprinkle the tops with additional candy cane pieces.
Notes
- Add Peppermint Sparingly – Start with just a little peppermint extract and add more to taste. It’s a strong flavor and a little goes a long way. The flavor will also get stronger over time, so if you’re not serving the dessert right away, add until its a nice light mint flavor.
- Adjust for Texture – Add a little more powdered sugar to thicken the frosting, or a little more cream to make it thinner as needed. Add only about 2 – 4 TBS of powdered sugar at a time, or 1/2 TBS of heavy cream.
- Food Coloring – Add a couple drops of red or green food coloring as desired to make a tinted frosting for different desserts. You can also tint half your frosting and add lines of both to a piping bag to get a nice red and white swirl.
- Quantity – This recipe makes about 2.5 cups of frosting, enough for about 14 cupcakes, one 9×13 cake, or about 28 cookies (depending on sizes and how thick you frost).
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