Instructions

1. Add 1 heaping cup of peanut butter, 1/2 cup of softened butter, and the vanilla to a mixing bowl. The butter should be “slightly softened” which means it is still cold but has warmed up enough so you can press your thumb down into the stick of butter.
2. Mix the butter, peanut butter, and vanilla together until they are fully combined (about 2 minutes).
3. Use a spatula to scrape the peanut butter mixture down from the sides of the bowl before moving on to the next step.
4. In a separate bowl, use a food scale to measure 1 Pound of Powdered Sugar.  If you don’t have a food scale, measure 4 cups instead. We normally do not sift the powdered sugar and instead rely on the mixer to do that work for us.
5. Pour the Powdered Sugar into the mixing bowl with the peanut butter mixture.
6. Start your mixer (or electric beater) on the lowest setting and keep it on low until the butter and sugar are incorporated (about 30 seconds).
7. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl and then increase the speed to medium-high and mix for another 30-45 seconds so the frosting starts coming together. The frosting will be thick and crumbly.
8. Taste your frosting. You are trying to determine how much milk you need to add and if it needs a little more vanilla extract. If it tastes great, no need to add more vanilla.  Most likely the frosting will be too thick at this point. Start adding milk, a tablespoon at a time, and mix again to check the consistency. The amount of milk to add depends on the state of your frosting and sometimes the time of year (if it is a hot humid day, you might need to just a little bit of milk.)