Cookie Frosting

The terms cookie frosting and cookie icing are often used interchangeably however I like to define a difference. Basically frosting stays soft and icing hardens.

However I won't argue the point and you will see recipes here that say icing but really don't harden up according to my definition.

Both frosting and icing are great cookie additions but this page is about frosting. You can read about cookie icing on this page.

Cookie frosting adds another dimension to your cookies.

Not only does it give you additional flavors and colors but it also offers a textural change.

Frosting is a sweet, sugar-based mixture that is not only used for cookies but is also used to fill and coat cakes, pastries, etc.

In addition to sugar, frosting can contain a combination of other ingredients including butter or shortening, milk, water, and various flavorings.

It can be cooked or uncooked and can range from thick to thin.

The only requirements for cookie frosting are that it be thick enough to stick to the cookie and yet soft enough to spread easily.

Butter Frosting or Creamy Frosting?

It just depends on what you're looking for in a frosting.

Butter Frosting, like its name indicates, is made with butter. Because of the butter, it has more flavor than Creamy Frosting.

Creamy Frosting is made with white shortening and even though it doesn't have the flavor of butter frosting it makes the brightest colors when food coloring is added.

The best of both worlds is to use butter flavored shortening in your cookie frosting. You could also add additional butter flavoring such as butter buds.

Other recipes don't use either butter or shortening as the base. Peanut butter frosting and cream cheese frosting are two examples.

Applying Frosting

You can apply frosting to your cookies in numerous ways. One way is to simply use a knife or spatula to spread the frosting across the entire surface of your cookie.

You can top a frosted cookie with another cookie and you have a cookie sandwich.

If you're handy with a piping bag you can pipe frosting onto your cookies.

Piping gives you better control over the frosting and you can be creative. You can pipe lines, rosettes or even write words onto the cookie.

Only a few decorating tips are necessary for cookie decorating. These include a small writing tip, a star tip, and a small rose tip.

The consistency of the frosting is important for piping. It should be thick enough to hold the piping shape, but thin enough to squeeze easily from the bag.

For piping, Creamy Frosting may hold up a little better than Butter Frosting, since the butter that's used will melt faster from the heat of your hands.

Another way you can apply frosting is to drizzle it on. This is just as easy as spreading with a spatula but it lets you apply a design if you like.

Simply place your cookies on a rack placed over some waxed paper or paper towels for easy cleanup and drizzle the cookie frosting with a spoon or a piping bag.

You can frost a lot of cookies really quickly this way.

Making cookie frosting and applying it to cookies is not a difficult process at all but like I said before it adds another dimension to your cookies. Give it a try.