This whipped cookie dough frosting is fluffy, creamy, and smooth – it tastes like a cloud made of cookie dough. It’s hard not to eat it by the spoonful! Make this frosting to add to cakes, cupcakes, cookies, or you can even serve it as a delicious dip.
Ermine Frosting
This frosting is a variation of Ermine frosting, a light and creamy frosting that’s thickened with flour. Ermine frosting is typically less sweet than classic buttercream and is reminiscent of whipped cream or the frosting you’d find in a ding dong.
My cookie dough variation of Ermine frosting incorporates brown sugar, extra vanilla, and mini chocolate chips for that classic cookie dough flavor. The brown sugar dissolves into the frosting upon whipping it, ensuring it doesn’t have a grainy texture.
Important ingredients for this whipped cookie dough frosting
All-purpose flour + soy milk: This is the roux — it thickens the frosting. It may seem weird to use flour in frosting, but it’s necessary for the delicious whipped texture. It’s important you allow the roux to cool completely before adding to your butter mixture or else the frosting may curdle.
Vegan butter: This is the base of the frosting. I recommend using Earth Balance buttery sticks, Miyoko’s Cultured Vegan Butter, or Country Crock Plant Butter. I do not recommend using margarine from the tub.
Brown sugar: This is another atypical ingredient you’ll use in this frosting. Brown sugar would typically make buttercream grainy, but creaming the butter and brown sugar for several minutes (even up to ten! This is where a stand mixer can help immensely) before adding the roux helps dissolve the sugar granules, ensuring your final product is smooth and creamy.
Pure vanilla extract: You’ll use a whole tablespoon of vanilla extract in this frosting. This may seem like a lot, but it’s a key to making this frosting taste like cookie dough.
Non-dairy mini chocolate chips: These are important for that classic cookie dough flavor. I recommend using mini chocolate chips rather than larger chocolate chips because you get a better distribution of chocolate throughout the frosting. Also, you can still pipe the frosting using a Wilton 1A tip (whereas larger chocolate chips may get stuck). If you’d like to use this frosting to frost a cake, I would not recommend mixing the chocolate chips into the frosting but rather pressing them into the cake after frosting it. You may have difficulty getting the frosting to look smooth if there are chocolate chips in it.
How to make this whipped cookie dough frosting
- Make the roux. Add the flour and soy milk to a small bowl and and whisk well. Strain the mixture into a saucepan over medium heat and continuously whisk until the mixture thickens – it should look like pudding when it’s ready. Remove from heat and whisk in vanilla extract. Pour back into the bowl and top with plastic wrap, pressing the plastic wrap directly onto the mixture (this will help ensure a skin doesn’t form on top). Allow to cool completely.
- Beat the butter and brown sugar. Place the butter and brown sugar in a large mixing bowl or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat for 7-10 minutes, until very light and fluffy (be patient here, you want the mixture to be very whipped and the brown sugar to dissolve as much as possible). Scrape the sides as necessary.
- Add the roux. Continue to beat the butter mixture as you slowly add the cooled milk mixture to it (if your milk mixture isn’t cooled completely, your frosting may curdle). Mix the frosting until it’s light and fluffy, scraping the sides as necessary.
- Mix in the mini chocolate chips. Mix in the mini chocolate chips (you may want to omit this instruction if frosting a cake – see above for my notes on this). Use as desired! See below for my recommendations for how to use this.
Tools and accessories used
Kitchenaid Mixer: While not necessary, I love using my Kitchenaid mixer when making this frosting. It helps tremendously, as you’ll need to beat this for up to ten minutes. I like to use my flex edge beater attachment, which scrapes the sides as it mixes.
Rubber Scraper: You’ll want one of these to scrape the sides of the bowl as you mix. I also like use it to stir my buttercream a bit by hand to remove air bubbles before using.
How to use this frosting
Cake: This frosting is delicious on cakes and it’s sturdy enough to use for layer cakes. I recommend leaving out the mini chocolate chips so that you can frost the cake smoothly, then pressing them into the cake (or sprinkling between the layers) after.
Cupcakes: This frosting is sturdy enough to pipe onto cupcakes. I recommend using a Wilton 1A tip so that the mini chocolate chips don’t get stuck. You could also use a cookie scooper to scoop the frosting onto cupcakes.
Cookie Sandwiches: Sandwich this in between your favorite cookies for a next-level dessert.
Cookie Dough Dip: Dip graham crackers, cookies, or even a spoon into this cookie dough frosting for an amazingly delicious treat.
Tips and Tricks
Barely softened butter: You’ll want the butter to be just barely softened when making this buttercream, as butter that’s too soft can cause the frosting to curdle. You’ll whip the butter and sugar for a long time, which will incorporate heat into the butter. I recommend bringing it out of the fridge just 10-20 minutes before using.
Whip the butter and sugar for a long time: You’ll want to beat the butter and sugar for the entire 7-10 minutes (scraping the sides occasionally) so that the sugar dissolves into the butter and the frosting has a whipped texture. This is very important for the success of this frosting.
Cool the roux completely: Allow the roux to cool completely before using to ensure the frosting doesn’t curdle.
Make right before using: Make the buttercream right before you plan on using it for the best outcome.
Let me know your thoughts!
If you love this recipe or have any questions, leave me a comment with a rating below. I also love to see your creations on Instagram, so make sure to tag me @marykatesvegancakes so I can see and repost!
Whipped Cookie Dough Frosting
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup (42g) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (240mL) soy milk*
- 1 tbsp (15mL) vanilla extract
- 1 cup (2 sticks / 227g) vegan butter*, barely softened*
- 1 cup (200g) packed brown sugar
- 1 cup (173g) non-dairy mini chocolate chips
Instructions
- Add the flour and soy milk to a small bowl and whisk well. Strain the mixture into a saucepan over medium heat and continuously whisk until the mixture thickens – it should look like pudding when it's ready. Remove from heat and whisk in the vanilla extract. Pour back into the small bowl and top with plastic wrap, pressing the plastic wrap directly onto the mixture (this will help ensure a skin doesn't form on top). Allow to cool completely.
- Place the butter and brown sugar in a large mixing bowl or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat for 7-10 minutes, until very light and fluffy (be patient here, you want the mixture to be very whipped and the brown sugar to dissolve as much as possible). Scrape the sides as necessary.
- Continue to beat the butter mixture as you add the cooled milk mixture to it (if your milk mixture isn't cooled completely, your frosting may curdle). Mix the frosting until it's light and fluffy, scraping the sides as necessary.
- Mix in the mini chocolate chips (you may want to omit this instruction if frosting a cake – see above for my notes on this). Use as desired! To pipe, I recommend using a Wilton 1A tip so that the mini chocolate chips don't get stuck. You could also use a cookie scooper to scoop the frosting onto cupcakes or in between your favorite cookies.
Notes
- Soy Milk: I recommend using soy because of its flavor and thickness, but you can use your favorite non-dairy milk.
- Vegan Butter: I recommend using vegan buttery sticks rather than margarine from the tub.
- Barely Softened Butter: You’ll want the butter to be just barely softened when making this buttercream, as butter that’s too soft can cause the frosting to curdle. You’ll whip the butter and sugar for a long time, which will incorporate heat into the butter. I recommend bringing it out of the fridge just 10-20 minutes before using.
I made this this frosting and it is delicious!
However, I did have a big problem with it. The emulsion for my whipped brown sugar/butter mixture broke after I added the cooled pudding mixture to it. I allowed the mixture to cool for a while at room temperature and then I put it in the refrigerator for a short while to ensure that it was completely cooled. I stuck my finger in it to make sure before I added it to the brown sugar/butter mixture. Can you give any insight into what else might have gone wrong? The frosting is delicious even though it’s ugly LOL.
Also, Can the left over frosting be frozen for use at a later date? I really don’t want to waste it.
Hi Lucy! I’m glad you still enjoyed this frosting.
It’s possible that the butter became too warm by the time you added the pudding mixture, causing the mixture to separate. However, it’s hard for me to know for sure. This type of frosting can be very temperamental and may take a few attempts before getting it perfect, so I recommend trying again! Keep in mind that room temperature butter should be slightly soft to the touch but not at all melty.
As for freezing, I like to use this frosting right away as the texture can change over time, however I have had luck refrigerating it and using at a later date. You may need to bring to room temp and re-whip before using. Hope this helps and happy baking!