Instructions

1. Add the “slightly softened” butter (somewhere in between straight out of the refrigerator and room temperature) to the mixing bowl along with the Rum Extract.
2. Mix the butter and Rum Extract together until they are fully combined (about 2 minutes on medium speed.) You want the extract to fully meld with the butter to get the best-flavored frosting possible.
3. Scrape the sides of the bowl down before moving on to the next step of the recipe.
4.  We use a food scale to measure the Powdered Sugar, to measure 1 pound of Powdered Sugar.  If you don’t have a food scale, the equivalent is 4 cups.
5. Add the powdered sugar to the mixing bowl.  
6. Start your mixer (or electric beater) on the lowest setting. Keep on low until the butter and sugar are incorporated (about 30 seconds), remove the dishtowel, and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Increase the mixer speed to medium-high and mix for 30-45 more seconds until the frosting starts to be light and fluffy.
7. Taste your frosting. You are trying to determine if the consistency is correct or if it needs a tiny bit more Rum Extract. 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. 
8. You can leave the frosting white, but we wanted it to be the color of a Butter Rum Hard Candy.  We added 1 regular-sized drop of yellow food coloring and 1 very small drop of brown to get this pretty golden color. Add the food coloring and then mix until the color is thoroughly combined with the frosting.