Simple and Tasty Buttercream Candies!

I made buttercreams for a recent Holiday Cookie Exchange, and THEY WERE GOOD. A bit messy, but if you don’t mind getting your fingertips (and maybe your countertops) a bit dirty, then have at it! I love a good candy. Buttercreams are elegant and tasty. You can dress them up with sprinkles, like I did. Or keep them simple with just a chocolate drizzle. It also got me thinking, you could EASILY try different flavors of buttercream such as coconut or orange, lemon with a bit of zest, etc. I kept it simple since this was my first time - I created a timeless Vanilla Buttercream by using Vanilla and Almond extract. Play around with it and see what you come up with!

Here’s the recipe:

You’ll need:
*1 stick softened butter (room temp, not microwaved)
*4 cups confectioners sugar
*2 tablespoons milk
*2 teaspoons vanilla flavoring
*1/2 teaspoon almond flavoring
*pinch of salt
*16 ounces of semi-sweet baking chocolate squares (4 bars)
*1/2 teaspoon vegetable oil

Here’s what you do.

Mix all ingredients well until stiff. Slowly sift in sugar and mix (don’t put all 4 cups in at once).
Once combined well, refrigerate for about an hour and up to 24 hours (can make ahead of time).

Once it’s refrigerated and hardened, use a small scoop and form little candy mounds. Put back in fridge for a few minutes while you make the chocolate dipping sauce.
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Break the chocolate bars into small pieces. Using either microwave or double boiler method (this is what I did), melt the chocolate slowly, stirring consistently so it doesn’t burn or stick. Once melted, stir in the oil. Remove from heat and let cool for about 5 minutes.
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Now you coat the buttercream. This is where it gets messy. I tried a couple of different ways to do this and ended up dropping in the chocolate with a spoon. Spinning it around to make sure it was covered, then scooping it out on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Because the buttercream is cool, the chocolate hardens pretty quickly so you will want to work fast in decorating with sprinkles.
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Good luck, and happy creating!