Red Hot Buttercream Frosting

Red Hot cinnamon candies make me nostalgic for being a kid again. 

But the funny thing is, I don't actually like eating them.  Well, I don't like eating them whole.  I mostly like the flavor they leave behind...like a sugar cookie decorated with red hots....but then the candy fell off so there's just a bit of red hot sugar left behind?  That's what I like.  Crazy?
Maybe.

So I thought, duh.  Why not combine the two? 

Yes!

It's my new Valentine's fave -- crunchy little bits to give you a zing but not overpowering. 

Okay, start with a basic buttercream frosting (if you're in a hurry, store-bought vanilla will work but homemade is so yummy and easy)

BUTTERCREAM FROSTING
makes enough for 24 cupcakes or a few dozen cookies

1 stick butter at room temperature
1/3-1/2 cup milk
2 Tbl Almond Extract
dash of salt
6-7 cups Confectioners (Powdered) sugar -appx a 32 oz/2lb bag

In a bowl, cream the butter for 10 seconds.  Carefully beat in the milk and Almond extract and salt for a few seconds.  Making frosting is sort of a give-and-take till you get the right consistency, so start with 1/3 cup milk and add more as needed.  Also, if 2 Tbl Almond extract sounds too strong start with 1 Tbl and see how it tastes. Personally, I love Almond flavor more than vanilla in frosting.  It's just so, tasty.

Now start adding the powdered sugar.  Add 6 cups and beat with a mixer.  Add more sugar as needed, till you have a thick yummy buttercream frosting.

Set the frosting aside and let's crunch the Red Hots (you can purchase red hot cinnamon candies in most grocery stores for about $1/bag).

• Place the Red Hots in a large plastic bag (do not seal the end of the bag so the air can get out).
• Place a piece of paper under the bag and fold it over to the top of the bag and pound it with a mallet or hammer (the paper helps keep contain any mess)
• Keep hammering till all the large pieces are smashed. 

And you end up with a lovely pile like this.
NOTE: You should mix the crushed candy into the frosting within an hour or it starts to get clumpy and soft.

Now, if you're decorating cookies you may not want an entire batch of red hot frosting.   I like to set aside  2/3 of the frosting and convert 1/3 of it to Red Hot.  So in a separate bowl, spoon in a cup or two of frosting and dump about a 1/2 cup of crushed red hots, and mix.  If you need more flavor add more red hots.  Give-and-take.

 Then decorate away!...and sample as you go.

Try it on Sugar Cookies, homemade cupcakes (mmmm)

or my personal favorite....crackers and frosting  (Ritz are so much better than graham crackers).

Whatever your method, it's a lot of red hot love. 
Happy Valentine's Day!