OMG. Permission granted to frost your finger[s] and go to town. I was baking peanut butter banana bread last week and thought man, this would be absolutely splendid slathered with pb frosting, ya know? And honestly cream cheese makes everything better. So here we are! Inspire by my famous Healthy Cream Cheese Frosting and Healthy Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting, this recipe comes together in no time and the results are almost impossibly delish. What’s it good on? More like what is it not good on.
Ingredients
Cream cheese: A brick-style block of full fat cream cheese for the base of the frosting. Maple syrup: My favorite natural sweetener to give this frosting the perfect amount of sweetness. Peanut butter: I use Kirkland’s natural peanut butter with just peanuts and salt as the ingredients. I’ve tested this with unsalted and it also works. Greek yogurt: You want plain, unsweetened Greek yogurt. Not fat or full fat work, but the thicker the better! Plain yogurt is too thin for this recipe. I have not succeeding in mastering a dairy free version of this recipe. Vanilla extract: A splash for amazing flavor.
How to make (step by step)
How to soften cream cheese
If you don’t soften the cream cheese, the frosting will be more lumpy and less smooth. That said, mine typically has some lumps anyway and I don’t mind it!
Slower method (recommended): Follow step 1 of the recipe card and soften on the counter for an hour. Quick method: Unwrap the cream cheese, discard the foil, and set it on a microwave-safe plate. Microwave for about 20 seconds. It should not feel hot. If it’s too warm, the frosting may be runny.
What makes it healthy?
Dietitian here! Let’s all agree that this is still frosting, not a salad. So compared to other frostings with a stick of butter and 2 cups powdered sugar (which there are certainly many occasions for!), this is clearly is a much more nourishing version. But at it’s core, it’s cream cheese and sugar because that’s what frosting is 🙂
Way less sugar: we’re talking ⅓ cup natural sweetener versus 2-3 cups powdered sugar. Addition of yogurt: Step aside butter, gut-friendly yogurt is adding the texture we need here! No butter: This recipe is perfectly sweet, tangy and creamy without the need for butter.
Why is my frosting runny?
This frosting should set up to be nice and thick. It won’t hold up to being piped, but it should be spreadable in a way that doesn’t run.
Not beating long enough: The mixture will start off thin and clumpy. Keep beating on medium high until it’s well combined. It should get much thicker and be fluffy! Using the wrong yogurt: Using a thinner yogurt that isn’t Greek style will lead to runnier frosting. Using whipped cream cheese: Whipped and tub-style cream cheese have more moisture. Brick-style have the lowest moisture content.
What to frost
I love this on pancakes, muffins, breads, brownies…really anything that could use some sweet and tangy peanut butter flavor! It’s also amazing on a spoon, like a cheesecake dip if you will.
How to store
Frosting can be at room temperature for up to 2 hours. After that, it needs to be refrigerated. Keep all leftovers in the fridge. This recipe yields 2 heaping cups of frosting, enough to frost an 8x8 pan of brownies.
