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Maple Pecan Buttercream Frosting is creamy, crunchy, and delicious. This unique frosting will be great on any cookie, cupcake, or cake you make this Fall.

Closeup on a cupcake topped with Maple Pecan Buttercream Frosting sitting next to a glass bowl filled with pecans.

Sometimes frosting is just a little something extra on top of a delicious dessert … but sometimes frosting is the star of a dessert. That is definitely the case with this sweet, thick, and crunchy Maple Pecan Buttercream Frosting.  Unique and delicious and bursting with classic Fall flavors like pecans and maple, your family and party guests will beg you for a second helping of whatever cookies, cupcakes, or cake you serve it on.

How to Make

Collage image showing the steps for adding the vanilla and the maple flavoring to the butter to make the frosting.

Step 1: Add “slightly softened” butter (somewhere in between straight out of the refrigerator and room temperature) to the mixing bowl along with the Mapleine Extract and the Vanilla Extract. There are two common types of Maple flavoring – Mapleine Imitation Maple Flavoring and Maple Extract. We like the flavor of the Mapleine better but either will work for this frosting.
Step 2: Mix the butter, Vanilla, and Mapleine Extract together until they are fully combined (about 2 minutes on medium speed.) You want the Maple flavoring to fully combine with the butter to get the best-flavored frosting possible. Scrape the sides of the bowl down before moving on to the next step of the recipe.

Collage image showing the steps for adding the powdered sugar to the maple frosting.

Step 3: Measure 1 pound of Powdered Sugar.  If you don’t have a food scale, the equivalent is 4 cups.  Do you need to sift the Powdered Sugar? We don’t normally do that but instead rely on our mixer to break up any lumps during the mixing process.
Step 4: Add the powdered sugar to the mixing bowl.  
Step 5: Fun Two Sisters Tip: place a clean dishtowel around your mixer to keep the sugar from flying out!
Step 6: Start your mixer (or electric beater) on the lowest setting. Keep on low until the butter and sugar are incorporated (about 30 seconds), remove the dishtowel, and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Increase the mixer speed to medium-high and mix for 30-45 more seconds until the frosting starts to be light and fluffy. If the frosting is too thick at this point, add a teaspoon of milk and mix again. 

Collage images showing the steps for chopping pecans and adding them to the maple frosting.

Step 7: We added a little less than 1 cup of finely chopped pecans.  We suggest anywhere from 3/4 to 1 cup depending on how crunchy and nutty you want your frosting to be.
Step 8: Add the chopped pecans to the maple frosting.
Step 9: Fold in the pecans with a spoon instead of using the mixer.

How to Serve

Closeup on a glass bowl filled with Maple Pecan Frosting sitting next to a batch of unfrosted chocolate cupcakes.

How much frosting will you need?  That always depends on how thick or thin you apply the frosting or how much decorating you do but here are a couple of guidelines. Our recipe should make enough Maple Pecan Frosting to cover a 9″ x 13″ sheet cake or a two-layer 8″ cake.  If you are making cupcakes, you should be able to frost 24 cupcakes. This frosting is a little too thick to swirl on, but if you do you’ll be able to frost approximately 18 cupcakes.

Closeup on three chocolate cupcakes topped with Maple Pecan Buttercream Frosting sitting on a wooden cutting board next to a glass bowl filled with pecans.

Other Frosting Recipes You Will Love

Step-by-Step Video Tutorial

Maple Pecan Buttercream FrostingPrint

Maple Pecan Buttercream Frosting

Yield 2 1/2 cups
Prep Time 10 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes

Maple Pecan Buttercream Frosting is creamy, crunchy and delicious. This unique frosting will be great on any cookie, cupcake or cake you make this Fall.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup Butter, slightly softened (We use Salted Sweet Cream Butter)
  • 1 teaspoon Crescent Mapleine Imitation Maple Flavoring or Maple Extract
  • 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
  • 1 pound Powdered Sugar (or 4 cups)
  • 3/4-1 cup Finely Chopped Pecans

Instructions

  1. Add “slightly softened” butter (somewhere in between straight out of the refrigerator and room temperature) to the mixing bowl along with the Mapleine Extract and the Vanilla Extract. There are two common types of Maple flavoring - Mapleine Imitation Maple Flavoring and Maple Extract. We like the flavor of the Mapleine better but either will work for this frosting.
  2. Mix the butter, Vanilla, and Mapleine Extract together until they are fully combined (about 2 minutes on medium speed.) You want the Maple flavoring to fully combine with the butter to get the best-flavored frosting possible. Scrape the sides of the bowl down before moving on to the next step of the recipe.
  3. Measure 1 pound of Powdered Sugar.  If you don’t have a food scale, the equivalent is 4 cups.  
  4. Add the powdered sugar to the mixing bowl.  
  5. Start your mixer (or electric beater) on the lowest setting. Keep on low until the butter and sugar are incorporated (about 30 seconds), remove the dishtowel, and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Increase the mixer speed to medium-high and mix for 30-45 more seconds until the frosting starts to be light and fluffy. If the frosting is too thick at this point, add a teaspoon of milk and mix again. 
  6. We added a little less than 1 cup of finely chopped pecans.  We suggest anywhere from 3/4 to 1 cup depending on how crunchy and nutty you want your frosting to be.
  7. Fold the chopped pecans in to the maple frosting with a spoon instead of using the mixer.

Did you Make this Recipe? Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @twosisterscrafting on Instagram so we can see it!

© Two Sisters Crafting
Cuisine: American / Category: Frosting