Decorators' Buttercream Icing {Recipe}

Before I even begin this post... yes, this icing is shortening-based. Yes, I know that. And there are a lot of good reasons for it. Try it. 

There are a million other icing recipes out there. But this is the one that I use for DECORATING. Just like you use different soap for your hands and for your face, there are different icings out there that serve different purposes.

This is my go-to icing for decorating for a few reasons:
- It doesn't have to be refrigerated.
- It doesn't get too soft in your hands when you work with it for a while.
- It's white, not ivory.
- It holds its color well.
- It "crusts" so that you can get a great faux fondant finish.

Without further ado...
What You Need
1 cup vegetable shortening (Crisco)
1 lb. powdered sugar
1 Tbsp. Meringue Powder
1 tsp. clear vanilla extract
1 tsp. clear butter flavoring (I prefer Wilton brand)
1/8 tsp. almond extract
1/4 cup whole milk or half-and-half

Yield: 2-3 cups icing (I usually double it.)
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