Is it the best? It might be.

I was looking for a frosting recipe for my cookies. I didn’t want icing, that seems like a drippy mess. I sure didn’t want something with merengue powder, the color doesn’t take right and the consistency is weird… this recipe was great. But I did make it 3 hours before I used it. I was trying to make all my frostings and not have to wash my bowl each time. So this sat a while before I used it. I ended up adding some cream to it to thin it just a tad. But even with that, it worked well and tasted great. It setup so I could stack the cookies but isn’t hard as concrete when you bite it. is it the best vanilla buttercream frosting? It just may be!!

The Best Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
1 cup (227 g) butter (I use salted), softened to room temperature (see note)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
4 cups (456 g) powdered sugar
2 to 4 tablespoons heavy cream

In a large bowl using a handheld mixer or the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the softened butter and vanilla extract until the butter is light in color and creamy, about 3 minutes, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
Add the powdered sugar gradually, about 1/2 cup at a time, mixing completely after each addition and scraping the sides of the bowl often.
Increase the mixer speed to medium-high, and continue mixing while adding the heavy cream (start with the lesser amount and add more as needed until the desired consistency is reached). Add more powdered sugar for a thicker frosting.
Whip until the frosting is light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes.
If using food coloring, add it now (gel coloring is preferred so it doesn’t thin out the frosting), and mix until combined.