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Royal Icing Recipe | Cookies and Cups


This Royal icing recipe is straightforward to make use of and excellent for outlining and flooding sugar cookies. Make enjoyable and easy, fantastically adorned cookies for any vacation or event!

Overhead view of assorted round sugar cookies decorated with royal icing in different colors.

Why You’ll Love This Royal Icing Recipe

This simple Royal icing recipe is made with meringue powder and units like a dream. You’re solely 3 components away from attractive adorned cookies for any event! It’s excellent for outlining and flooding cookies and piping particulars. Listed here are extra causes to like it:

  • Versatile. Royal icing is a basic sort of frosting that hardens because it units. This makes it excellent for adorning cookies in a great deal of alternative ways, from outlining to filling and detailing. One recipe, countless prospects!
  • Straightforward. Sure, you may make bakery-worthy royal icing proper in your individual kitchen! All it takes is a bowl and mixer. You’ll be in search of excuses to bake a batch of cookies for adorning (as if you happen to want one).
  • 3 components. You solely want three components to make do-it-yourself royal icing: powdered sugar, egg whites (or on this case, meringue powder), and your selection of flavorings. That’s it!
Royal icing ingredients with text labels overlaying each ingredient.Royal icing ingredients with text labels overlaying each ingredient.

What You’ll Want

Home made royal icing wants solely 3 components. Take a look at some fast notes beneath and scroll all the way down to the recipe card for a printable components listing.

  • Meringue Powder – Meringue powder mixed with water is an egg white substitute. It’s what makes royal icing harden to a candy-like texture.
  • Powdered Sugar – Additionally referred to as confectioner’s sugar, sifted earlier than you begin. 
  • Vanilla Extract – Actual vanilla extract, or you may change up the flavors utilizing any flavoring extract you’d like.

The right way to Make Royal Icing

Comply with these quick steps to whip up a giant batch of do-it-yourself royal icing. Don’t neglect to scroll to the recipe card for printable directions.

  • Whip the meringue. First, you’ll beat the meringue powder with water till it’s mild and foamy.
  • Mix. Slowly combine in powdered sugar, adopted by the vanilla extract. Step by step improve the blending pace to excessive, whipping till stiff, shiny peaks begin to kind.
  • Divide and colour the icing. Divide the completed icing into separate bowls, and add your required colours. Stir the colour in by hand to keep away from air bubbles. Afterward, add the royal icing to piping baggage or you may skinny out the icing for flooding, see beneath.

The right way to Skinny Out Royal Icing

As is, your royal icing is the proper consistency for piping outlines, textures, and particulars. For those who’ll be utilizing among the icing to flood cookies (create a easy floor), you’ll must divide the icing and skinny it out to a flooding consistency. To skinny out royal icing for flooding, stir in further water, 1 teaspoon at a time, till the consistency resembles corn syrup (see picture).

A rubber spatula drizzles purple royal icing into a bowl, showing the icing consistency needed for flooding.A rubber spatula drizzles purple royal icing into a bowl, showing the icing consistency needed for flooding.
Royal icing thinned out to a consistency for flooding cookies.

Recipe Ideas

For those who’ve by no means made icing at dwelling earlier than, listed below are my ideas for getting it excellent each time:

  • Get vivid white icing. For those who’re after a pure white royal icing, just remember to use clear vanilla, or omit the extract altogether.
  • Thicken royal icing that’s too skinny. For those who add an excessive amount of water, or if you happen to discover that your royal icing is on the runny facet, add somewhat powdered sugar till you attain your required consistency.
  • Use gel meals colours. Gel meals coloring makes the brightest, most vibrant colours, and somewhat goes a good distance. You’ll discover gel meals colours in baking and craft shops, or on-line. Liquid meals coloring (like the type you discover in most grocery shops) tends to water down frosting.
  • Royal icing various. For those who’d favor to skip royal icing for an additional form, strive the easy vanilla icing that I take advantage of for my iced oatmeal cookies. It’s made with solely powdered sugar, water, and vanilla, with out meringue.
Overhead view of assorted piping bags filled with pink, white, and yellow royal icing on a grey countertop, next to round sugar cookies on a baking sheet.Overhead view of assorted piping bags filled with pink, white, and yellow royal icing on a grey countertop, next to round sugar cookies on a baking sheet.

Adorning Cookies With Royal Icing

The easiest way to make use of royal icing is to pipe it with a pastry bag. Royal icing has tons of various makes use of relying on the consistency, from creating stunning designs in your favourite reduce out sugar cookies to gluing collectively a gingerbread home on the holidays. Whether or not you employ your royal icing for piping, outlining, or flooding, the method is similar! See beneath for a straightforward tutorial on methods to flood a cookie for adorning.

Close up of a round sugar cookie decorated with royal icing in a snowflake design, next to more decorated cookies.Close up of a round sugar cookie decorated with royal icing in a snowflake design, next to more decorated cookies.

Flooding a Cookie

Beneath, I’ll present you methods to flood a cookie utilizing royal icing and my favourite sugar cookies recipe. You can even use this icing on chocolate sugar cookies or brown sugar cut-out cookies. Even if you happen to’re new to adorning cookies, you’re going to be amazed at how simple it’s!

  • Fill the piping baggage. Start by deciding which colours you’ll use to embellish your cookies. Shade the royal icing and fill your piping baggage, some with define icing and a few with flooding icing. I discover it helps to position the empty piping bag right into a glass and fold the highest down over the edges of the glass to open up the bag.
  • Define the cookie. Use define icing to pipe a skinny define across the exterior fringe of the cookie. Squeeze the highest of the piping bag firmly and use your different hand to information the icing tip within the path you need it to go.
  • Fill the define. After you’ve outlined a number of of your cookies, it’s time to fill or “flood” them. To flood the cookie, use your thinner flooding icing to rigorously flood the outlined form.
  • Easy out the icing. Gently faucet and jiggle the cookie to unfold the icing out. Then, use a toothpick to pop any air bubbles and produce the icing proper up in opposition to the perimeters of the define.
  • Let the cookies dry. Let the adorned cookies dry down for a number of hours, or in a single day, earlier than including extra icing particulars. 

What Dimension Piping Ideas Ought to I Use?

I like to recommend a small #1 or #2 piping tip for flooding and outlining cookies with icing. These fundamental piping ideas are additionally nice for including finer particulars afterward, just like the strains and dots you see within the pictures.

Overhead view of assorted round sugar cookies decorated with royal icing in different colors.Overhead view of assorted round sugar cookies decorated with royal icing in different colors.

Regularly Requested Questions

What’s the distinction between royal icing and common icing?

The principle distinction between royal icing and buttercream frosting is the feel. Conventional frosting is mushy and creamy because of components like butter, whereas royal icing makes use of egg whites and dries down onerous and candy-like.

How lengthy does it take for royal icing to dry?

Most often, royal icing takes wherever between 6-8 hours to dry totally. After this time, it’s protected to maneuver and stack your cookies with out denting or messing up the floor of the icing. You’ll discover a skinny crust begin to kind after about half-hour.

Why isn’t my royal icing hardening?

Undermixing can result in weak, unstable royal icing. The identical could be stated for overmixing, which creates an excessive amount of quantity within the meringue. The ensuing icing shall be mushy/brittle and should not set absolutely.

Is milk or water higher for royal icing?

I’ve at all times used water in my royal icing recipe. That being stated, I’ve heard that milk or cream additionally works nicely. Be happy to make use of whichever you like.

Why does royal icing flip yellow?

That is attributable to “butter bleed”. In case your kitchen is simply too heat, the butter from the sugar cookie melts and seeps into the royal icing, creating yellow-ish blotches. Whereas your cookies will nonetheless style scrumptious, there’s not a lot that you are able to do to repair it. See the following part for detailed storage ideas.

Close up of a round sugar cookie decorated with stripes of royal icing, next to more decorated cookies.Close up of a round sugar cookie decorated with stripes of royal icing, next to more decorated cookies.

The right way to Retailer

  • Retailer the royal icing. Royal icing created from meringue powder could be saved at room temperature for 1-2 weeks. Retailer any leftover icing in an hermetic container, with cling wrap pressed instantly in opposition to the floor of the icing to forestall crusting.
  • Storing adorned cookies. After you’ve frosted your cookies, be sure that to let the icing harden utterly. Retailer the adorned cookies hermetic in a cool and dry location, both on the counter or within the pantry. 

Can I Freeze Royal Icing?

Sure! You may freeze royal icing for as much as 2 months. You probably have lots of icing left over, freeze any colours individually in an hermetic container or freezer bag. Thaw the icing within the fridge after which convey it to room temperature earlier than you employ it.

You can even freeze sugar cookies adorned with icing for as much as 3 months. I like to recommend storing the cookies in an hermetic container with parchment paper between the layers. Defrost the cookies at room temperature or within the fridge.

Extra Frosting Recipes

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Description

This simple Royal icing recipe made with meringue powder is ideal for outlining and flooding cookies! Make enjoyable and easy, fantastically adorned cookies for any vacation or event.


  • 1/2 cup water
  • 3 tablespoons meringue powder
  • 1 pound field of powdered sugar (roughly 4 cups), sifted
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (or any taste you like)

  1. With paddle attachment combine the water and meringue powder on low till mixed then on excessive about 1 minute till foamy.
  2. Add the powdered sugar on low pace somewhat at a time, add extract after which combine on medium to mix collectively. Now combine on excessive for 4-5 minutes till stiff, shiny peaks kind.
  3. I separate and colour the icing at this level.
  4. With the icing as is, it’s excellent for outlining cookies and including gildings.
  5. In case you are planning on flooding your cookies, add water, 1 teaspoon at a time,till you get the consistency of corn syrup.
  6. For those who add an excessive amount of water, sift in additional powdered sugar.

Notes

  • If you’d like a pure white frosting, use clear vanilla or omit extract.
  • Retailer in an hermetic container with a layer of cling wrap pressed instantly in opposition to the floor of the icing, to forestall a crust from forming.

Vitamin

  • Serving Dimension:
  • Energy: 177
  • Sugar: 23.6 g
  • Sodium: 70.2 mg
  • Fats: 3.7 g
  • Carbohydrates: 35.2 g
  • Protein: 1.1 g
  • Ldl cholesterol: 15.1 mg

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