Name: Peanut Butter Buttercream
Total time: 40 min
Ingredients: 1 cup (7 ounces/198 grams) sugar; 5 large egg whites; 1/8 teaspoon salt; 28 tablespoons (3 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter , cut into 28 pieces and softened; 1 cup creamy peanut butter; 1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract

Why This Recipe Works

To get the creamiest, most satiny texture for this buttercream, we heated egg whites and sugar together and then whipped the warm mixture into a smooth meringue before adding the butter. Creamy peanut butter and vanilla extract transformed this European-style buttercream into a familiar American favorite.

Before You Begin

Our favorite creamy peanut butter is Skippy Peanut Butter.

Instructions

Combine sugar, egg whites, and salt in bowl of stand mixer; place bowl over saucepan filled with 1 inch barely simmering water, making sure that water does not touch bottom of bowl. Heat sugar mixture, whisking gently but constantly, until slightly thickened and foamy and mixture registers 150 degrees, about 3 minutes.

Place bowl in stand mixer and fit mixer with whisk attachment. Whip sugar mixture on medium-high speed until consistency of shaving cream, about 5 minutes. Add butter, 1 piece at a time, and whip until fully incorporated, about 3 minutes. (Frosting may look curdled after half of butter has been added; it will smooth out with additional butter.)

Once all butter is added, reduce speed to low and add peanut butter and vanilla; mix until combined, about 30 seconds. Increase speed to medium-high and whip until light and fluffy, about 30 seconds, scraping down whisk and bowl with rubber spatula as needed.