Butterfinger Buttercream Frosting

posted by Nancy on June 23, 2022 // 2 Comments

Our Butterfinger Buttercream Frosting is a creamy and delicious buttercream frosting flavored with crushed Butterfinger candy pieces. Yum! Yum! If you love Butterfinger Bars you will love this frosting.

Closeup on a chocolate cupcake topped with a swirl of Butterfinger Buttercream Frosting sitting in front of a glass bowl filled with Butterfinger candy bars.

Nobody better lay a finger on my Butterfinger … Butterfinger Buttercream Frosting that is. The Butterfinger lovers in your life will thank you when you frost your next batch of cupcakes or brownies with this yummy peanut-y candy-flavored frosting. Super delicious and so easy to make, your family will beg you to make this delicious homemade frosting again and again.

Step by Step Instructions

Collage image showing how to mix the butter and the vanilla for the perfectly flavored Butterfinger Icing.

Step 1: Remove your butter from the refrigerator about 30 minutes before you start making the frosting. You want it to be slightly softened (somewhere between straight out of the refrigerator and fully room temperature.) If the butter is too cold it will be hard to mix with the vanilla. If it is too soft, it will start melting during the mixing process and your frosting consistency will be off. Add the slightly softened butter and the vanilla to a mixing bowl.
Step 2: Mix the butter and the vanilla together on medium speed until thoroughly combined (about 2 minutes.) You really want the vanilla to meld with the butter to enhance the flavor of the frosting.
Step 3: Use a spatula to scrape the butter and vanilla mixture down from the sides of the bowl before moving on to the next step.

Collage image showing the process for adding the powdered sugar to the frosting mixture.

Step 4: Measure your Powdered Sugar. We use a food scale to measure the Powdered Sugar, you will need 1 pound. (If you don’t have a food scale, the equivalent would be 4 cups.) You can sift the powdered sugar if it is really lumpy. We rarely do that. We rely on our mixer to break up any lumps during the mixing process.
Step 5: Add the Powdered Sugar to the bowl with the butter and vanilla mixture.
Step 6: Start your mixer (or electric beater) on the lowest setting. Two Sisters Tip: place a clean dishtowel around your mixer to keep the sugar from flying out. Keep on low until the butter and sugar are incorporated (about 30 seconds), remove the dishtowel, and scrape down the sides of the bowl.
Step 7: Kick your mixer up to medium-high speed and mix for 30-45 more seconds until the frosting starts to be light and fluffy.

Collage image showing how to add milk to the frosting if it is not the right consistency.

Steps 8-9: ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS taste your frosting. You are trying to determine if the consistency is correct or if it needs more milk or maybe a bit more vanilla. Depending on how it tastes, you will take the next step. If the frosting has the right taste but is too thick, add some milk and mix again to check to see if it is now the right consistency. How much milk? That depends on the state of your frosting. A good rule of thumb is to add the milk a teaspoon at a time. You can check out our FAQ section below to see some other advice on making the perfect batch of frosting.

Collage image showing how to add the Butterfinger candy pieces into the frosting.

Step 10: Use a knife to rough chop a 1.9 oz Butterfinger Bar. You should have about 1/3 cup of Butterfinger Candy pieces.
Step 11: Add the candy pieces into the bowl with the frosting and fold the crushed Butterfinger bar into the buttercream frosting with a spoon and you are done!
Step 12: That’s all there is to it. Enjoy!

How to Serve

Closeup on a decorating bag filled with Butterfinger Frosting in front of six unfrosted chocolate cupcakes.

How much frosting will you need? That always depends on how thick or thin you apply the frosting or how much decorating you do but here are a couple of guidelines. Our recipe makes about 2 1/2 cups of frosting. That should be enough icing to cover a 9×13″ sheet cake or a two-layer 8″ cake. If you are making cupcakes, you should be able to frost 24 cupcakes if you apply the frosting with a knife and approximately 16 cupcakes if you swirl on the frosting as we have here in these photos.

Expert Tips and FAQ’s

Does the frosting need to be refrigerated?

No, the frosting does not need to be refrigerated. For example, brownies frosted with this Butterfinger Frosting would be fine left out on the counter for 2-3 days if the pan was tightly covered with aluminum foil. That said, we usually refrigerate our frosted desserts to keep the baked good from going stale even if the frosting would be fine. We think frosting tastes best at room temperature so we will then remove the item from the refrigerator a couple of hours before we will serve them.

How do I store any leftover frosting?

Frosting stored in an air-tight container in the refrigerator should be good for up to a week. If you carefully wrap the frosting in order to avoid freezer burn, the frosting should be fine in the freezer for 3-4 months.

What should I do if my frosting is too sweet?

Buttercream is a sweet frosting and the addition of the Butterfinger candy also ups the sweetness level. One thing you can do if it seems too sweet for your palette is to add a pinch of salt to the frosting. But please note that a little salt goes a long way. We cannot stress enough that a pinch (10-15 granules of regular table salt) is all you usually need. Even 1/4 a teaspoon of salt would probably ruin the frosting. Add the salt and mix again and see if that has cut down on the sweetness level.

What should I do if my frosting turned out too thick?

Add another teaspoon of milk and mix again. Continue to add the milk, a teaspoon at a time, until the frosting is the consistency that you like it.

What should I do if my frosting turned out too thin?

Temperature plays a big part in the consistency of frosting. A thin frosting could mean that the butter has gotten overworked and is too melted. The first thing to do is refrigerate the frosting for an hour and then check to see if the frosting has set back up again. If not, the next step is to add more powdered sugar or cornstarch. Start with either 1/2 cup of Powdered Sugar or 1 tablespoon of Cornstarch. Mix again and see if the consistency is better.

Is there a substitute for the milk?

Yes. You can use Half n’ Half or Whipping Cream or even almond milk or another milk substitute.

IIf you are looking for dessert ideas, don’t miss these yummy recipes that would taste great frosted with our Butterfinger Frosting: Frosted Brownies, Peanut Butter Brownie Cupcakes, Homemade Chocolate Cupcakes, Brownie Cookies

Closeup of a Chocolate Cupcake topped with Butterfinger Frosting sitting on a wooden plant in front of ramekin filled with Butterfinger Candy Bars.

Other Frosting Recipes You Will Love

Peanut Butter Cup Frosting

Graham Cracker Buttercream Frosting

Cake Batter Buttercream Frosting

Oreo Frosting

Did you Make This Recipe? Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @twosisterscrafting on Instagram so we can see it!

And don’t forget to follow us on Tiktok, Pinterest, Facebook, and Instagram!