Thick and fluffy buttercream frosting

I've got a tried and true butter cream, that is just too good not to share! I've tried it on cupcakes, cookies, and cakes! It's thick, so it's piping bag friendly, and it hardens well to do sugar cookies with! In fact, I just made my daughter's first birthday cupcakes with this, and made them with Raspberry and Mint extracts instead of Vanilla, and they were FANTASTIC!! It takes about 20 minutes from start to finish.

First, you need a few simple ingredients, that I've always got in my pantry.
Powdered sugar - 5 cups- Sifted
Heavy Cream or Whole Milk Room temp - 2-4 tablespoons (add/subtract to alter frosting consistency)
Vanilla extract - 1-2 teaspoons
Unsalted butter - 1 stick- Softened
Small pinch of salt- about 1/4 teaspoon

Tools you'll need:
Medium to large mixing bowl
Electric mixer
Rubber scraper

Here's how to!
Put your softened, unsalted butter in a medium to large mixing bowl.  Beat it on high for no less than 5 minutes. You need the butter to be a whipped consistency for this to work. Once the butter is whipped (You'll notice the color go from the dark yellow it normally is, to a pale, creamy, white color) add in about half of your confectioners sugar in small batches. I like to add a half cup at a time, just because it flies all over the kitchen in my mixer if I don't ;) It doesn't take long to get it all in, I promise! Now, add your flavoring and scrape down the sides. For traditional buttercream, use Vanilla Extract. You can use vanilla essence if that's what you have, but it takes more to get that rich vanilla flavor. I've use everything from mint, to almond, to orange. It's so versatile!
Add your salt, and about two tablespoons of the cream. Beat the mixture on high for about a minute, just so the salt dissolves, and the cream is fully incorporated. Make sure to scrape the sides down! :) Time to add more sugar! Again, just a bit at a time. Once all your sugar is incorporated, Beat on high for five minutes. Check the consistency- It should be nice and thick. It should stay on the spoon firmly, and need some help getting off- it takes a good flick. If it seems too thick for what you're after, feel free to add a couple more tablespoons of cream and beat again. If you're piping, keep it kind of thick. If you're frosting cookies, make it a little thinner- it does harden if you leave it open to the air overnight, or at least 2 hours. 

I hope you enjoy it! It has made a lot of happy people in my family!