Restless Chipotle

  • About
  • Recipes
  • Videos
  • Shop
  • Recipe Box
menu icon
go to homepage
  • About
  • Recipes
  • Videos
  • Shop
  • Recipe Box
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • About
  • Recipes
  • Videos
  • Shop
  • Recipe Box
×
Home » Cookies Recipes

How to Store Buttercream Frosted Cookies

Published: Mar 31, 2023 by Marye

Green cookies with thick, white buttercream frosting on top.

Learn how to store buttercream frosted cookies to keep your dessert looking—and tasting— as fresh as possible!

Don't want to scroll through the page? Use the table of contents to click on the section you want to go to.

Decorated cookies on a rack.
Table of Contents
  • ❤️ Why this works
  • 🧾 What you'll need
  • 🥣 Why American Buttercream?
  • 🥫 How to Store Buttercream Frosted Cookies
  • 💭 Things to know
  • 👩‍🍳 FAQs
  • 📚 Related recipes
  • 💬 Comments

❤️ Why this works

  • A slight crust prevents homemade frosting from moving or spreading
  • American buttercream cookies are safe at room temperature for days
  • Fluffy frosting is the perfect complement both to cutout cookies and soft sugar cookies

Frosted sugar cookies are beautiful, bakery-worthy treats. Thankfully, they don't take much time, effort, or skill.

There are a few great options for storing sugar cookies with buttercream frosting, and it all depends on what you prefer!

Whether you're going to enjoy the cookies within a couple of hours or a couple of months, this is the best way to do it. So, let's begin!

🧾 What you'll need

  • A large airtight container, like Tupperware or a wide glass storage dish
  • Your favorite American buttercream recipe
  • Cookies, of course
  • Wax or parchment paper (optional for stacking)

If you like soft cookies, this bakery-style recipe is fabulous! On the other hand, these are the best sugar cookies for stamping out shapes with cookie cutters.

Cut-out cookie dough is perfect for special occasions, baby showers, themed celebrations, and, most popular, Christmas cookies! Plus, the flat top of the cookie is the perfect canvas for amazing buttercream.

🥣 Why American Buttercream?

American buttercream is ideal sugar cookie icing for a variety of reasons. First, and best of all, it's easy! American buttercream only takes a little bit of time to whip up—literally.

Plus, it only requires a few, basic ingredients—you might not even have to go to the grocery store. Unlike other types of buttercream that use finicky egg whites and messy sugar/corn syrup, American buttercream only mainly needs powdered sugar and room temperature butter.

Royal icing cookies take a lot of work and time to dry. However, classic buttercream only needs a few minutes of chill time. After that, they're the right consistency to store (and even stack) your decorated sugar cookies.

You can learn more about the different types of frostings and buttercreams here.

A bowl of cream cheese frosting.

🥫 How to Store Buttercream Frosted Cookies

No Refrigeration: Place frosted cookies in a single layer on a cookie sheet, cutting board, or in a storage container. Let them sit at room temperature for 2-3 hours.

The buttercream will develop a slight crust, which means that it will hold its shape against light pressure. Once crusted over, you may choose to separate the first layer of cookies with a piece of wax paper and gently stack a second layer on top.

Seal the cookies in an airtight container. They'll last at room temperature for 2-3 days.

Refrigeration:

Refrigeration speeds up the crusting process and preserves your favorite sugar cookie recipe for a few extra days.

Let the sugar cookie frosting set in the fridge for 15 minutes to a half hour before stacking the cookies together—if you need to stack them.

Then, seal the cookies in an airtight container and refrigerate! They'll last for about a week.

Freezing:

Absolutely! To prepare buttercream sugar cookies for long-term freezing, place them straight into the freezer on whatever plate or board you decorated them.

Let the cookies "flash-freeze" for about an hour, or until the frosting is firm to the touch. Then, carefully store them in a heavy-duty plastic bag or a storage container, separating each layer with a piece of parchment paper.

In the freezer, they'll last for about three months. Separate the frozen cookies into a single layer and let them thaw at room temperature until you're ready to enjoy.

closeup of soft sugar cookies with pink icing.
Lofthouse Cookies

💭 Things to know

Expert Tip: If your design is more intricate, like a piped swirl, you may prefer not to stack the cookies, just in case. Delicate swaths of frosting, even after set, may not be stable enough to support additional cookies.

  • When making buttercream, it's important to use room-temperature butter. Too cold and the frosting will look split and oily as you beat it.
  • Let your cookies cool fully, otherwise, your frosting will melt right off!
  • Use a piping bag and tip to make easy, big swirls on the cookies, or get creative with different colors and more intricate designs.
  • You can also use an offset spatula to easily decorate cookies. These are the best for stacking!
  • Butter tends to absorb odors from the fridge or freezer very quickly. Be sure to use heavy-duty storage materials, and keep any fragrant foods (like meat, fish, or onions) away from the cookies.
  • If refrigerated, you may prefer to let the cookies sit at room temperature before serving. When cold, the fluffy texture of buttercream tends to harden a little.

👩‍🍳 FAQs

Do buttercream cookies need refrigeration?

Nope! American buttercream has a high sugar content which preserves the dairy—the butter. Even if you use heavy cream to thin the frosting, it's still fine for a few days.

Does the buttercream "crust" affect its flavor?

Not at all. The crust simply refers to the sugar hardening just enough to hold its shape. The frosting is still perfectly light and fluffy underneath.

Why does my buttercream have condensation?

It happens for the same reason an icy can of soda gets wet on a hot, summer afternoon! Condensation forms when warm air meets a cold surface—like refrigerated cookies. It won't hurt. You can dab it with a paper towel, but it'll usually go away on its own as the cookies warm up.

Can I make American buttercream frosting in advance?

Sure! Wrap it in plastic wrap or put it in a heavy-duty bag. You can store American buttercream in the fridge for 2-3 days or the freezer for 2-3 months. Let it thaw and come to room temperature before rewhipping and frosting the cookies.

Sugar cookies decorated for Valentines Day
We've used it for decades - it's the perfect sugar cookie recipe!

📚 Related recipes

  • Shipping cookies? Whether they're crossing state borders or seas, this is what you need to know to ensure their safe, delicious arrival!
  • Learn about American buttercream, Swiss Meringue buttercream, cream cheese frosting, icing, and more with these helpful tips.
  • Bakery-style sugar cookies are sweet and light. They have a perfectly crisp edge with a chewy, addictive center—yum!
  • Unique, stunning, and scrumptious, red-velvet no-spread cookies are great for Valentine's Day, Christmas, and more.
  • Oreo chocolate chip cookies on a piece of white parchment.
    One Bowl Oreo Chocolate Chip Cookies
  • Closeup of cinnamon crinkle cookies that have been decorated for the holidays.
    Chewy Cinnamon Cookies
  • Overhead view of a pile of lavender shortbread cookies.
    Lavender Shortbread Cookies Recipe: Easy Slice and Bake
  • Closeup of purple and green swirled Beetlejuice Halloween cookies with eyes.
    Beetlejuice Inspired Halloween Cookies

More Homemade Cookie Recipes

  • Closeup of the butter pecan toffee cookies on a cooling rack.
    Butter Pecan Toffee Cookies
  • Closeup of polar bear cookies on a cookie sheet.
    Christmas Polar Bear Cookies
  • Close up of Monster Cookies for the featured image.
    Monster Cookies
  • A plate of cookies with coffee cups in the background.
    50 Best Cookie Recipes on the Internet (Updated for 2024)

Love it? Share it!

  • Facebook
  • Flipboard

About Marye

Meet Marye Audet, a wizard in the kitchen and a storyteller at heart. Marye is like your eccentric but fun aunt who knows all the secret recipes and isn't afraid to spill them.

Comments

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Love it? Give it 5 stars!




  1. Patricia says

    October 27, 2023 at 8:10 am

    I iced 200 cut out sugar cookies with buttercream on a Thursday for a Saturday event. After a lot of reading I decided to leave them out overnight on parchment lined cookie sheets covered loosely with parchment. Will they still be good left out for another day/night until the event on Saturday or should I store in an airtight container and leave on the counter? My sugar cookies have no leavening agent and are on the crispier side. I am not so much worried about drying out as I am about sogginess which is why I chose not to put in airtight container initially. On the other hand I don't want them to be stale.

    Reply
    • Marye says

      November 01, 2023 at 5:51 pm

      Sorry, that's hard to answer. There's so many different recipes - it would depend on the recipe, your climate, and other things.

      Reply
Marye Audet-White, founder of Restless Chipotle Media

Hey Y'all, I'm Marye

Welcome to my kitchen! ☕

NY Times bestselling author. 10 cookbooks. Mom of 8 kids. Homeschooling mom for 22 years. Addicted to Hallmark Christmas Movies. Collector of old cookbooks.

Find out more

🍉 Summer Cookouts

  • Overhead view of potato salad in a glass bowl
    Mom's Homemade Potato Salad
  • Overhead view of the finished watermelon basket filled with an assortment of fruit.
    How to Make a Watermelon Basket
  • Closeup of a finished hamburger in a bun.
    Retro Lipton Onion Soup Burger (Vintage Recipe)
  • Closeup of a star shaped cake covered in white chocolate with red and blue sprinkles.
    Zebra Cake Recipe: Little Debbie Copycat

🫖 Picklefork Stories

Picklefork town crest.
Click here to visit Picklefork

👑 Reader Favorites

  • Square overhead of chicken for feature image.
    Crockpot Angel Chicken
  • Close up of the sauce showing the creamy texture.
    Copycat Red Robin Campfire Sauce Recipe
  • Wooden spatula removing fried potatoes out of iron skillet.
    Crispy Fried Potatoes in a Cast Iron Skillet (Southern Style)
  • Blue cocktail with a red and white straw.
    Sex in the Driveway Cocktail
  • A sliced loaf of english muffin bread.
    Easy English Muffin Bread – No Knead, Perfect for Toasting!
  • Two finished loaves of Amish white bread cooling on a table.
    No-Fail Amish White Bread

Footer

^ back to top

About

  • About Marye Audet-White
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Accessibility Policy
  • Contact
MaryeAudet Whiteandherchildren Dec

Featured In:

Places Restless Chipotle has been featured

We improve our products and advertising by using Microsoft Clarity to see how you use our website. By using our site, you agree that we and Microsoft can collect and use this data. Our privacy statement has more details.

Copyright ©2006 - 2025 Restless Chipotle Media, LLC

Picklefork Tales Copyright ©2025 Marye Audet, Restless Chipotle Media