What to Do With Leftover Frosting: 10 Sweet & Easy Ideas

Whether it's fresh from your stand mixer or fresh from the can, you might have a use for all that leftover frosting. You could just enjoy a spoonful on its own, but you may find that these ideas are a more efficient way to repurpose the frosting left from your latest bake. 

A little leftover frosting goes a long way it meets its cookie soul mate. From your favorite homemade chocolate chip cookies to a sleeve of chewy packaged cookies, this is the easiest treat you'll ever make. Apply one to two tablespoons of frosting to one cookie and sandwich the goodness with another cookie on top. 

Related: 8 Sweet Upgrades That Make Canned Frosting Taste Amazing

If the cream in ice cream makes you scream, this is the treat hack you've been dreaming of. Swirl your leftover frosting into a bowl of your favorite ice cream, and you have an extra-decadent dessert to melt your stresses away.

Cake pops might look like a professional-level dessert, but they're easier to make than you might think. Here's how to make the yummy spheres of flavor.

Ingredients

• Leftover frosting
• Leftover cake or cookies, crumbled
• Chocolate or candy melts

Directions

1. Combine the cake and frosting in a mixer until it resembles cookie dough.
2. Use a cookie scoop and your palms to create bite-sized balls and insert cake pop sticks into each one. A dab of melted chocolate or candy melts on the stick will help it stay in place.
3. Freeze for 5-10 minutes on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
4. Remove from the freezer and coat in melted chocolate. Add any sprinkles or extra add-ons you like. 

Just a half cup or so of leftover frosting could be the base for a yummy party dessert dip. Combine your frosting with cream cheese and whipped topping for a fluffy dip that pairs perfectly with fruit, graham crackers, and small cookies. 

You've heard of charcuterie boards, and you may have even seen the popular butter boards, but have you ever heard of a buttercream board? Spread your leftover frosting or use a piping bag to fill your board with swirls of delicious decadence. Fill in the gaps with cake cubes, pretzels, and other dippers for a board that will wow at your next gathering. 

If you're working with a very small amount of leftover frosting, this is how you can make the most of it. Spread the goodness on white bread or butter bread and add jam or fresh fruit. Slather both sides of the bread with a bit of butter and a sprinkle of cinnamon and grill according to your preference. Now you have a quick dessert grilled cheese to satisfy your sweet tooth in a pinch.

Not feeling all that frosting? Turn it into a batch of cookies instead. This recipe from Cupcake Project shows you just how useful that leftover frosting can be. All you need is half a cup of leftover frosting and four other simple ingredients you probably have on hand to make the easiest cookies ever.

Chocolate-covered strawberries are great, but these frosting-filled strawberries might be even better. All you have to do is cut the tops off of your berries, scoop out some of the core, and pipe in a swirl of your buttercream. Strawberries would be elevated with frosting flavors like dark or milk chocolate, white chocolate, lemon, vanilla, or cream cheese. 

Related: How to Store Buttercream Frosting Like a Baking Pro

Do you need a reason to bake fresh cinnamon rolls? Well, you have one now if you need it. All that leftover frosting would be divine on a batch of warm cinnamon rolls. Chocolate frosting could add a tasty twist to traditional cinnamon rolls, and cream cheese frosting is a must for red velvet cinnamon rolls. 

We're just giving you the ideas, it's up to you to create a sweet flavor profile with your leftover frosting. From a few tablespoons to half a batch of the sweet stuff, you should have no shortage of ways to repurpose that buttercream.