This frosting sounded too good to be true. Simple ingredients whose healthier alternatives I had on hand, and only one minute to make? It actually took me over an hour because the frosting boiled for one minute, then needed a long time to cool. That said, this one hour chocolate frosting was very forgiving of alternative ingredients and saved my hubby's Valentines Day treats!
Boiled frosting is a great option for attempting frosting with more wholesome sweeteners because it takes granulated sugar instead of powdered sugar. I could easily substitute turbinado sugar (Sugar in the Raw) for the white granulated sugar, I subbed Earth Balance for the butter, and used organic almond milk instead of dairy milk. All those changes, and the frosting still turned out great! Although I beat it in the mixer as per instructions, I don't think it really needed to be beaten, at least not with my mix of ingredient substitutions. It was already spreadable when just cooled and stirred.
Here is my altered recipe:
1 cup turbinado sugar (Sugar in the Raw)
1/4 cup cocoa
1/4 cup Earth Balance
1/4 cup almond milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
I dumped everything in a sauce pan and brought to a roiling boil, which I then kept going for 1 minute. I was supposed to put the vanilla in after the boil, but putting it in at the beginning didn't seem to hurt. I transferred the molten frosting to a bowl and let it cool for at least 45 minutes. At that point it was ready to stir (or beat) and spread sparingly for a fun, but not too unhealthy treat.
