Coffee Whiskey Buttercreme

Ingredients

Ingredients:

•1 ½ cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

•4-5 cups powdered sugar

•¼ teaspoon finely ground sea salt (or to taste)

•½ tablespoon instant coffee or espresso

•¼ cup whiskey or bourbon

•splash vanilla extract, optional

Directions

Instructions:

• Either in the bowl of your stand mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment, or in a large mixing bowl and using a hand mixer, beat butter on high until very smooth, about 30 seconds. Be sure the butter is soft but still matte looking. If it’s shiny, it’s over-softened and needs to go back in the fridge for a few minutes. *Note: I highly recommend European style butter because it has less water and is creamier.

• Add powdered sugar, one cup at a time, beating on low then increasing to high until smooth, about 1 minute. Stop after you’ve added 4 cups. You can add more at the end, if needed.

• In a small mixing bowl, combine instant coffee or espresso with one tablespoon of the whiskey. Stir until dissolved and smooth. Pour into the buttercream, scraping bowl to get all the coffee you can. Add the salt and beat on high until very smooth. Scrape the bowl.

• Taste buttercream. If you’d like a stronger coffee taste, stir another ½ tablespoon instant coffee with another tablespoon of whiskey and beat into the buttercream. Otherwise, add the remainder of the whiskey straight into the buttercream (or to taste). If you don’t want any more of a whiskey taste but need to smooth out the frosting, you can add a splash or two of heavy whipping cream instead. You can also add a splash of vanilla extract at this point if you want, but I left it out to let the coffee and whiskey shine. Beat on high until well blended.

• Scrape the bowl and taste again, adding the last cup of powdered sugar or a splash more whiskey, as needed. Don’t overdo it on the whiskey, though. It can cause the buttercream to break. If you want a more intense flavor, you can leave the buttercream in the fridge for a few days.

• Beat on high for about a minute, to fluff up the frosting. Then stir vigorously with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula for another minute to release the air bubbles.

Enjoy! If not using right away, cover tightly and store in the fridge. To bring out a stronger coffee and whiskey flavor, refrigerate for up to a week then let come to room temperature for a couple hours before using. Frosting can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge up to 2 weeks or the freezer for 1-2 months.