Buttercream Frosting

I wish I could say I'd made a cake recently and had need for this icing, but I haven't. I haven't made a super special cake for my kids' birthdays for years. Thus, none of this yummy icing which I eat directly out of the bowl. I used to give the leftovers, after I made a cake and gorged myself until I was almost sick, to some friends of ours from church. They would freeze it and then use it sparingly on graham crackers over a reasonable period of time. Smart people, they were.

Well, Caboose likes a little frosting on his sugar cookies, so I decided I'd make a little of this yummy icing. I didn't remember exactly how much one batch made up, so I doubled it. I've got a lot of frosting in my fridge. Wish I had some reasonable friends to share with about now.

Buttercream Frosting

1/2 cup solid vegetable shortening
1/2 cup butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 cups (1 lb) powdered sugar
2 T milk

Cream butter and shortening with electric mixer.

Add vanilla.

Gradually add sugar one cup at a time, beating well on medium speed. You might want to have it on low when you're adding the sugar, because it sure flies through the air otherwise. Scrape sides and bottom of the bowl often. This is a picture with about half of the sugar mixed in.

When all the sugar is mixed in, icing will appear dry. Your mixer might start throwing chunks of icing through the air too, so lower the beater speed. In this picture I have all my sugar mixed in.

Add milk and beat at medium speed until light and fluffy.

Now remember I doubled the recipe that I gave you above. I used my large mixing bowl, and you can see how much that made. Lots!

It's also not friendly to the waistline. Figures.