Strawberry Frosting

Working on anything homemade requires equal parts creativity and humility when you have a baby in tow. Why humility? Because when baby comes first (as she should), sometimes you have to face the fact that some of your projects are not going to be done to the same standards as they usually are. For instance, last week I discovered I can decorate brownies with one hand while bouncing baby on my knee with the other.

They may not be the prettiest brownies ever, but they were tasty, and Hubby's coworkers appreciated them nonetheless on Valentine's Day.

The strawberry frosting I whipped up for the hearts was super easy. Most recipes for from-scratch strawberry frosting called for pureed strawberries. Since the frosted hearts were a last-minute idea, rather than running out to the store to buy strawberries (which aren't in season in the middle of February anyway), I used strawberry jam instead. It turned out so delicious I'm saving the recipe for future baking adventures.

Strawberry Frosting Recipe

Makes 1 cup.

Ingredients

1/4 cup butter, softened at room temperature

1/2 cup strawberry jam

2 cups confectioner's sugar

1/4 cup half & half

Directions

In a large bowl, beat butter and strawberry jam until light and fluffy. Slowly beat in 1/2 cup confectioner's sugar. Add the half & half, then beat in the remaining confectioners' sugar. Add more half & half or confectioner's sugar as needed to produce a good spreading consistency. Refrigerate until ready to use.