Never-fails-me Buttercream Icing

Total Time: 15 mins Preparation Time: 15 mins

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup chocolate chips, plus (see * below)
• 1/4 cup chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup whipping cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (see ** below)
• 2 cups shortening, at room temperature
• 4 cups confectioners' sugar

Recipe

• 1 in a microwave-safe bowl, melt the 1/2 cup chocolate with the 1/2 cup whipping cream for 1 minute on 50% heat/powder.
• 2 stir until the chocolate melts then add the 1/4 cup chocolate and stir until that chocolate melts as well add the vanilla extract and set aside.
• 3 in a medium mixing bowl, with an electric mixer, beat the shortening for 30 seconds then add 2 cups of the confectioners sugar and beat until combined.
• 4 add all of the chocolate mixture and beat for 30 seconds (it may become very thick so just add more whipping cream to thin it out).
• 5 add the last of the confectioner's sugar and beat until combined and then for 30 seconds more.
• 6 *you can use dark chocolate, milk chocolate, peanut butter chips, or even butterscotch chips in place of the chocolate to make the icing fit your cake or brownies better.
• 7 **try adding different extracts to the basic chocolate recipe like this:.
• 8 1 teaspoon lemon extract+ 3 drops yellow food coloring instead of the vanilla extract for a lemon cake.
• 9 1 teaspoon strawberry extract+ 2 drops red food coloring instead of the vanilla for a strawberry cake.
• 10 1 teaspoon orange or mint extract instead of the vanilla for a chocolate cake.