Creamsicle Sugar Cookies Using Orange Flavored Buttercream

Kick up the taste of your buttercream sugar cookies with fresh orange flavored buttercream. This buttercream frosting is deliciously sweet & tart, complimenting these creamsicle decorated sugar cookies perfectly.

Using orange juice and just a hint of vanilla extract, this frosting resembles a creamsicle ice cream treat in itself. Pipe the frosting onto vanilla sugar cookies and talk about a creamsicle lover’s dream.

What’s even better is that this orange flavored buttercream is a crusting buttercream. This means it is ideal for piping onto cookies.

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Delicious Creamsicle Orange Flavored Buttercream Icing

First, I want to address what I mean by “crusting,” because that’s not the prettiest word. All it means is that the outside layer of buttercream will form a slight crust. This allows the cookies to be lightly touched without getting messed up. You can package them and transport them as well.

For this deliciously sweet yet slightly tart buttercream, you will need room temperature butter, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and some orange juice. You can choose to kick it up a degree and add LorAnn Orange Cream Oil as well. I’d add only about 1/2 of a teaspoon of this stuff because the orange juice alone provides a pretty good orange flavored buttercream.

To make creamsicle decorated sugar cookies, make sure to pick up some orange and brown gel food color. My favorite brand is the Wilton gel food colors for their pigment and consistency. You will also need a delicious sugar cookie recipe.

This recipe makes a double batch of creamsicle buttercream, so cut it in half if you only have a dozen cookies to decorate.

The first step is to cream two cups of room temperature butter in your stand mixer.

Next, add in a 2 lb bag plus one cup of powdered sugar into the stand mixer and carefully mix it in just a bit with a rubber spatula. Doing this first, as opposed to turning on the mixer right away, can help avoid a powdery kitchen. You may also need to add in the powdered sugar in stages, placing a cup or so in at a time and mixing, depending on the size of your mixer.

Beat the powdered sugar into the butter until combined on low speed, only about a minute. You want to make sure not to overbeat the frosting, as that can lead to air bubbles.

Add in a tablespoon of vanilla extract and six to seven tablespoons of orange juice. You can also mix in some of these liquids while adding in the powdered sugar if the mixture is getting too thick for your mixer. If you want orange colored buttercream, mix that in now as well until the desired shade is reached.

If you are considering adding in the LorAnn Orange Cream Oil, now is the time to taste test your buttercream. I found that using just orange juice provided the perfect creamsicle buttercream taste for me. But, others may want something more in-your-face-orange.

Mix all of the fluids into the buttercream on medium-low speed until smooth.

Creamsicle Orange Flavored Buttercream Recipe

Kick up the taste of your buttercream sugar cookies with fresh orange flavored buttercream. This perfectly sweet & tart icing compliments vanilla sugar cookies and tastes like your favorite creamsicle treat.

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Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Creamsicle Buttercream, Orange Flavored Buttercream

Prep Time: 1 hour hour

Mixing Time: 5 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 5 minutes minutes

Author: Leah Buehler

Equipment

• Stand Mixer with Paddle Attachment
• Measuring Cups & Spoons
• Rubber Spatula
• Three 12" Icing Bags
• Two Wilton #12 Tips
• One Wilton #10 Tip
• Two Small Mixing Bowls
• Plastic Wrap
• 9" Angled Flat Spatula
• Palette Knife optional but highly recommended as it makes smoothing buttercream much easier

Ingredients

• 4 sticks room temperature unsalted butter 2 cups
• 2 lbs. powdered sugar plus one cup powdered sugar
• 1 tbsp. vanilla extract
• 6-7 tbsp. orange juice without the pulp room temperature or slightly warmed in microwave
• orange gel food dye
• brown gel food dye
• 1/2 tsp. LorAnn Super Strength Orange Cream Oil optional, see section above for where to purchase
• 24 oval shaped sugar cookies baked and cooled

Instructions

• Beat the room temperature butter on medium-high speed for about two minutes, until it is creamy and lighter in color.
• Add in the powdered sugar. Using the rubber spatula, mix the sugar with the butter a bit before turning on the mixer. This helps prevent a kitchen covered in powdered sugar. Mix on low for about 30 seconds, or until just combined.
• Add in the tablespoon of pure vanilla extract and six tablespoons of room temperature orange juice. Mix on low. I prefer a consistency of smooth peanut butter for my buttercream icing. Add in another tablespoon of orange juice if needed.
• Optional - If you want a stronger orange flavored buttercream, add in a half teaspoon of LorAnn Super Strength Orange Cream Oil. I find that this is not needed with the amount of orange juice in the recipe but you may want a stronger orange flavored buttercream. Do not add more than seven tablespoons of orange juice, otherwise it will not crust.
• Once you have achieved your desired consistency, divide the buttercream up into three bowls, one bowl will be the stand mixer bowl. The stand mixer should have about 2/3 of the frosting, with the other third distributed between the two other bowls. Color the buttercream in the mixing bowl a light orange. Color one of the smaller bowls a light brown. Leave the other bowl undyed.
• Set up an icing bag with a Wilton tip #12 and put orange buttercream into it until the max fill line. Place a piece of plastic wrap over the rest of the orange buttercream so it doesn't crust. You will return back to it when you run out of orange in the icing bag.
• Set up another icing bag with a Wilton tip #12 and put the white buttercream frosting into it. Again, use plastic wrap to cover any leftovers.
• Set up the last icing bag with a Wilton tip #10 and put the light brown buttercream into it.
• Use the light brown icing to pipe the popsicle stick.
• Use the white icing to pipe the bottom of the creamsicle.
• Use the orange icing to pipe the rest of the creamsicle.
• Use the palette knife or angled flat spatula to smooth the frosting.
• Use the 9" angled flat spatula to carve out two indentations into the creamsicle.

Notes

See step-by-step photo series tutorial below for decorating creamsicle sugar cookies.

Store in an airtight container on the counter for a few days, otherwise freeze in the airtight container until ready to eat.

If you need your buttercream frosting to be more stable in higher temperatures, swap out half of the butter for a cup of vegetable shortening such as Crisco. Or, if you are REALLY concerned about high temperatures, use all shortening. If using all shortening, try to use a high-ratio shortening for a better texture and mouth-feel.

Remember, you can find my vanilla sugar cookie dough recipe here.

How to Decorate Creamsicle Sugar Cookies

Divide the orange flavored buttercream into three bowls, one being in the stand mixer bowl. Keep 2/3 of the frosting in the stand mixer and divide the remaining third into two bowls.

Color the frosting in the stand mixer a light orange to resemble a creamsicle. Color the frosting in one bowl a light brown to resemble a popsicle stick. Keep the other bowl undyed.

Set up your icing bags as follows:

1. Add the orange buttercream into an icing bag with a Wilton tip #12 in it. Here is a pack of two size 12 tips.
2. Add the white/undyed buttercream into an icing bag with a Wilton tip #12 in it.
3. Add the light brown buttercream into an icing bag with a Wilton tip #10 in it.

Any frosting that doesn’t fit to the max fill line in a 12″ icing bag should be covered with plastic wrap until needed.

To decorate sugar cookies that look like creamsicles, follow these steps:

1. Pipe a line of light brown frosting for the popsicle stick.
2. Pipe a line of white frosting for the bottom of the creamsicle. I found this easiest if I rotated the cookie 90 degrees.
3. Pipe the rest of the creamsicle with the orange frosting. I found this easiest if I turned the cookie upside down, or 180 degrees.
4. Preferrably with a palette knife, smooth the top of the frosting, all three colors, and clean up the edges. When smoothing, smooth one color at a time so you can place the wiped off part back into the icing bag. You can use the angled flat spatula, but I find it more difficult to smooth with, it’s up to you.
5. Using a 9″ angled flat spatula, draw two indentations into the creamsicle to resemble the creamsicle design. Be careful not to press too hard, as you still want some orange buttercream at the bottom of the indentation. You can clean up the cookie further with the palette knife if needed.

Serve these creamsicle decorated sugar cookies with orange flavored buttercream at your next summer party. These would be fun for the Fourth of July, backyard party, a BBQ, family reunion, birthday party, day at the lake, really any time.

Save the Recipe for Orange Flavored Buttercream for Later

Make sure to save this orange flavored buttercream recipe for your next party. You can pin the image below to your Pinterest account or use the social sharing icons on the page.