This is my all-time favorite recipe for Peanut Butter Buttercream Frosting. It’s great for cakes, cupcakes, cookie cakes, and all your baking adventures!
I’m not allowed to bake cookies anymore.
Especially not cookie cakes.
Definitely not cookie cakes.
They’re like potato chips for me. I can’t have just one piece! Each time I walk by the kitchen, I *HAVE* to have a small bite. Or a slice. Or a giant plate full of deliciousness.
It’s the same with a pan of brownies — if they’re in the kitchen I’ll find a way to snack on them all day long until someone slaps my hand and hands me an apple. Pass the apples, will ya?
Don’t get me wrong, if I’m out and about and a cookie so happens to land itself in my vicinity, well then I’m allowed to enjoy it. (duh!) However, I’m not allowed to make them.
I’m also not allowed to make this frosting. While there’s plenty of room in my lifestyle for indulgence, there isn’t room for recipes that drive me to eat an entire bowl of frosting with a spoon.
You’ve been warned. Make this at your own risk…
Frosting Ingredients
The ingredients couldn’t be simpler!
Need extra? You can double or even triple the amount as needed. This batch yields enough frosting to cover a dozen cupcakes with a generous spiral tower of frosting or 24 cupcakes with just a small PB swirl on top.
I adore the chocolate PB combo of pairing this frosting with chocolate cupcakes or chocolate chip cookies/cake. Delish!
- 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks) softened to room temperature
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter (245 grams)
- 3 cups powdered sugar (375 grams)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 Tablespoons heavy cream or milk
For the peanut butter I am a total sucker for Skippy Natural. My skippy love affair started when I was a kiddo and I’ve held on for dear life all these years. Any brand will work great though! Super runny peanut butter will probably need less milk added so start with 2 TBSP and increase as needed. Easy peasy!
Peanut Butter Buttercream Frosting
This super easy peanut butter buttercream frosting is great on cakes, cupcakes, cookies, cookie cakes, your fingers, your face… Hah! I dare you not to lick the beaters, the spoon, and the bowl clean!
Paul and my Mini-me literally fight over who gets to lick every surface this dang frosting touched. It’s so good!
I have it on pretty good authority that it tastes AMAZING on my small-batch chocolate cupcakes too!
You can also slather this frosting in between two freshly baked chocolate chip cookies, sandwich style. Who needs bread anyways?
So delicious.
So dangerous.
SO HAPPENING!
Peanut Butter Buttercream Frosting
Ingredients
- 2 sticks unsalted butter softened to room temperature (226 grams)
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter (245 grams)
- 3 cups powdered sugar (360 grams)
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- ½ tsp salt
- 2-3 TBSP heavy cream or milk
Instructions
- Allow butter to soften to room temperature.
- In a large mixing bowl using a handheld mixer, beat the butter and peanut butter until smooth and creamy, stopping to scrape down sides as needed. (approx. 1-2 minutes)
- Add the powdered sugar and mix on low speed at first to incorporate then increase to medium speed and continue mixing for 1-2 minutes or until fully combined.
- Add the heavy cream (or milk), vanilla extract, and salt and continue mixing on medium speed until everything is well-combined, smooth, and easy to pipe.
Notes
Nutrition
MAKE AHEAD BUTTERCREAM FROSTING
Frosting can be made in advance and stored in the fridge. Bring back to room temp and lightly mix before decorating your cookie cake.
This homemade peanut butter buttercream frosting can be frozen in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to 1-3 months and in the fridge for 1 week.
This comes in handy for advance dessert prep and also if you ever end up with any leftover frosting after decorating the cake. Since I bake a lot this time of year, I always assorted frosting flavors in the freezer! Simply defrost overnight in the fridge then bring to room temperature on the counter until it’s soft and pipable.
Simple Small-Batch Peanut Butter Buttercream Frosting
Looking for the simplified small batch peanut butter frosting that was on the old-school version of my blog/post? I’ve got your back!
This is the small batch version that yields approx. 1/2 cup of creamy, dreamy frosting.
Ingredients
- ¼ cup salted butter, softened
- ¼ cup peanut butter
- 1.5 cups powdered sugar
- ¼ cup milk
Instructions
- Allow butter to soften to room temperature.
- Use a handheld electric beater to whip the above ingredients into a fluffy, flavorful frosting. The thickness and sweetness can be adjusted to taste by beating in extra powdered sugar at the end, if desired, but the ratio above was my version of peanut butter perfection!
- Frost yourself!
Bonus points if you can name the above movie reference!
Questions & Reviews
This is the second time I’ve made this. It’s a fantastic recipe.
omg can i just say this was AMAZING!!! i loved it! thank you so much for this recipe i will be making it for a long time to come! 🙂
Yay!! Happy to hear it Heather – thank you!
Thank you,!
This was absolutely delicious! Thank you for sharing the recipe!
So happy you enjoyed it Michelle, thanks!