Description
This Royal Icing recipe produces a smooth, glossy, and versatile icing perfect for decorating cookies with detailed designs or a flood finish. Made from powdered sugar, meringue powder, and vanilla, this icing dries hard for beautiful, durable decorations and can be tinted with gel food coloring for vibrant colors.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients
- 4 cups powdered sugar (452 grams)
- 4 tablespoons meringue powder (43 grams)
- 8-10 tablespoons warm water (114-142 grams)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (4 grams)
- Gel food coloring (optional)
Instructions
- Combine dry ingredients: Add the powdered sugar and meringue powder to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whisk to combine thoroughly to ensure even mixing of dry ingredients.
- Add liquids and mix: Pour in 8 tablespoons of warm water and the vanilla extract, then mix on medium-low speed until everything is incorporated uniformly.
- Whip to soft peaks: Increase the mixer speed to medium-high and beat the mixture until soft peaks form, which should take about 1 to 2 minutes. This aeration is important for the icing’s texture.
- Adjust consistency: Gradually add more water one teaspoon at a time until your desired icing consistency is reached. For outlining and flooding cookies, the icing should drip off the whisk and smooth out in 10 to 15 seconds. If it smooths too fast, beat again for a minute; if too slow, add a bit more water.
- Color the icing: Divide the icing into small bowls according to how many colors you’d like and add gel food coloring to each bowl to tint the icing as desired.
- Prepare for decorating: Fit piping bags with Wilton #3 or #4 tips, fill them with the colored icing, and use them to decorate cookies with precise details or flood coverage.
Notes
- Use gel food coloring to preserve the icing’s consistency without adding extra liquid.
- For best results, allow decorated cookies to dry at room temperature for several hours or overnight so the icing hardens completely.
- Storage: Keep unused royal icing covered tightly with plastic wrap pressed on the surface to prevent drying, and refrigerate up to one week. Rewhip before use.
- If you lack a stand mixer, a hand mixer with a whisk attachment can be used.
- Adjust the thickness depending on your decorating needs: thicker for outlines, thinner for flooding.
