The Butter(cream) Battle

I have been searching for the perfect icing recipe. As cupcakes go, I have pretty good luck with using a box mix (or an almost-home-made recipe- I really like the box cake plus egg whites and soda) but I really don't like canned frosting.
I don't like the idea of buying cupcakes. Don't get me wrong, I love Cupcake a la Mode and Smallcakes. But paying $20-$40 per dozen for cupcakes for a 4 year old's party is a bit much. I mean, if the cupcakes got eaten, that would be one thing. But really, pre-schoolers tend to either lick off the frosting and toss the cake or take 2-3 bites and be done.
On the other hand, there will be parents at the party, and I would like the cupcakes to actually taste good.
Thus, my search. Pinterest has been quite helpful in this regard. I have tried 5 recipes total. Though I would like to try a cream cheese variant, I just don't have time before Saturday.
Here are the recipes that I tried.
1. Buttercream with flour
Ok, this recipe required cooking. On the stove. I can bake, but I really can't cook. That said, this frosting was HORRID. Not just a little bad, or too thick or thin or burned or something resulting from me using the stove. It was WAY too buttery. I ended up adding a bunch more powdered sugar just to keep from tasting like just butter. But then, it just tasted like a so-so buttercream.
2. Best Buttercream Frosting
This was not bad, a basic buttercream. It was too sweet for my taste. I didn't use cream (I didn't have any) but I used whole milk. despite the higher quantity of vanilla, this really just tasted like sugar.
3. Dream Frosting
The family was divided over this one. I made it, and the next two, all on one day, and compared them. I didn't ice any cupcakes or anything, just made small batches to test head-to-head. Bri-Guy liked this one the best. I think it looked really nice- it had a sort-of sheen to it that buttercream does not. I am not a huge fan of fluff, though. It was definitely lighter than buttercream, and had a marshmallow-y taste to it. The texture seemed a bit slick, almost slimy. It was not sticky, which surprised me. It didn't really firm up any more in the fridge, so if you make it, make sure to add enough sugar to pipe or whatever, because it won't thicken too much. Also, I just made vanilla. I doubled the amount of vanilla in it. Both the Fluff Frosting recipes I have seen have used added flavor- strawberry or almond, so maybe I would like those better, but I was looking for a basic vanilla.
4. Sprinkles Frosting
No, this does not have any sprinkles in it. I guess it came from some cupcake company that Oprah raved about, thus making them famous by default. This and the next were my favorites. This is a thick, buttery recipe. It has a pretty strong flavor, and would probably overwhelm ligher flavors of cake, like vanilla or strawberry. I think it would be really good on chocolate. When refrigerated, it firmed up pretty hard, much like a canned frosting. After sitting out again, it regained the soft consistency, so this one would be good for making ahead of time. I doubled the vanilla in this recipe, too.
5. Magnolia's Frosting
This is from a bakery somewhere, and I guess is not actually a buttercream, but a confectioner's sugar frosting. Other than proportions, I really don't know what sets them apart. This was a slightly lighter, sweeter frosting compared to Sprinkles. I could see this going really well on a lighter or flavored cake (like strawberry or lemon) I didn't use quite as much sugar as it called for, and doubled the vanilla (are you sensing a trend here?) This one firmed up some in the fridge, and would probably keep pretty well for a couple of days.
The photo at the top is of these last three frostings.
Some notes: I didn't use salt in any of these, instead I used salted butter. I generally put in more vanilla than called for in frosting, just my personal taste. I also really like using other flavorings- almond, lemon, orange, peppermint, and will try some of these at some point. When you make frosting, you really do need to let the butter get to room temperature. Melted butter just doesn't work, and if the butter is too firm, then you end up with little bits of butter, which no one really wants to taste!
So which one will I use? Well, despite the fact that the family (2 of the 3 who tried it- G-Man wouldn't taste any of them on the grounds that they were a new food we were trying to get him to eat, and baby B is too little to taste-test) liked the fluff frosting, since I am the one baking, I am going to use the Sprinkles Frosting. I am doing a chocolate cake, and think it will go well.