Vanilla Butter Frosting

• 1/3 cup soft butter or margarine (I always use butter)
• 3 cups confectioners’ sugar ( powdered sugar) 
• 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla 
• About 2 tablespoons milk.  (I always end up adding more milk)  

Blend butter, sugar, vanilla and milk. Beat until frosting is smooth and of spreading consistency.

Variations:

Cherry Butter Frosting

Make above recipe. Stir in 2 Tbs drained chopped maraschino cherries and 2 drops red food color.

I usually put about 8 maraschino cherries in a food processor and chop them up that way. Instead of using red food coloring, I add a little bit of maraschino cherry juice. Also, because the cherries have liquid in them I add less milk when I make this frosting. If you don’t use less milk, the frosting will be too runny.

Chocolate Frosting

Make above vanilla butter frosting with this change: Stir in 1/3 cup baking coco into the 3 cups confectioners sugar with a fork before adding the rest of the ingredients.

Peanut Butter Frosting

Substitute peanut butter for the butter; increase milk to 1/4 to 1/3 cup.

These frosting recipes are from my Betty Crocker’s cookbook. These frosting recipes are so easy to make and tastes a lot better than canned frosting. I use this frosting not only to frost cakes, but graham crackers, vanilla wafers, and for decorating sugar cookies. I especially like the chocolate frosting on graham crackers (always Honey Maid brand) and the cherry frosting on vanilla wafers (always Nabisco brand). Frosted graham crackers and vanilla wafers are a quick snack to make up for sack lunches and they are always a big hit the school's lunch room. I usually packed a few extras to be given away or traded with friends. Janelle’s 4th grade class voted her chocolate frosted graham crackers best cookies of the holiday cookie contest when she was in Ms. Mittman’s class.

Here is a chocolate frosting that is dairy free: