Thursday, September 19, 2024

Royal Icing Recipe | Cookies and Cups


This Royal icing recipe is simple to make use of and ideal 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 straightforward 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 good for outlining and flooding cookies and piping particulars. Listed here are extra causes to like it:

  • Versatile. Royal icing is a basic kind of frosting that hardens because it units. This makes it good for adorning cookies in a great deal of alternative ways, from outlining to filling and detailing. One recipe, infinite prospects!
  • Straightforward. Sure, you may make bakery-worthy royal icing proper in your personal 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 should you want one).
  • 3 components. You solely want three components to make home made royal icing: powdered sugar, egg whites (or on this case, meringue powder), and your alternative of flavorings. That’s it!
Royal icing ingredients with text labels overlaying each ingredient.

What You’ll Want

Selfmade royal icing wants solely 3 components. Take a look at some fast notes under and scroll right 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 known 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.

Methods to Make Royal Icing

Observe these quick steps to whip up a giant batch of home made royal icing. Don’t overlook 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. Progressively enhance the blending velocity to excessive, whipping till stiff, shiny peaks begin to type.
  • Divide and coloration 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 under.

Methods to Skinny Out Royal Icing

As is, your royal icing is the proper consistency for piping outlines, textures, and particulars. Should you’ll be utilizing a number of the icing to flood cookies (create a easy floor), you’ll have to 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.
Royal icing thinned out to a consistency for flooding cookies.

Recipe Suggestions

Should you’ve by no means made icing at house earlier than, listed here are my suggestions for getting it good each time:

  • Get vivid white icing. Should you’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. Should you add an excessive amount of water, or should you 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 great distance. You’ll discover gel meals colours in baking and craft shops, or on-line. Liquid meals coloring (like the sort you discover in most grocery shops) tends to water down frosting.
  • Royal icing different. Should you’d want to skip royal icing for an additional sort, attempt the straightforward 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.

Adorning Cookies With Royal Icing

One of the simplest ways 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 minimize 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 approach is similar! See under for a simple tutorial on 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.

Flooding a Cookie

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

  • Fill the piping baggage. Start by deciding which colours you’ll use to embellish your cookies. Coloration the royal icing and fill your piping baggage, some with define icing and a few with flooding icing. I discover it helps to put the empty piping bag right into a glass and fold the highest down over the perimeters 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 just a few of your cookies, it’s time to fill or “flood” them. To flood the cookie, use your thinner flooding icing to fastidiously 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 convey the icing proper up in opposition to the perimeters of the define.
  • Let the cookies dry. Let the adorned cookies dry down for just a few hours, or in a single day, earlier than including extra icing particulars. 

What Measurement Piping Suggestions Ought to I Use?

I like to recommend a small #1 or #2 piping tip for flooding and outlining cookies with icing. These primary piping suggestions are additionally nice for including finer particulars in a while, just like the traces and dots you see within the images.

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

Steadily 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 smooth and creamy because of components like butter, whereas royal icing makes use of egg whites and dries down exhausting and candy-like.

How lengthy does it take for royal icing to dry?

Usually, royal icing takes wherever between 6-8 hours to dry totally. After this time, it’s secure 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 type after about half-hour.

Why isn’t my royal icing hardening?

Undermixing can result in weak, unstable royal icing. The identical might be mentioned for overmixing, which creates an excessive amount of quantity within the meringue. The ensuing icing might be smooth/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 mentioned, I’ve heard that milk or cream additionally works nicely. Be at liberty to make use of whichever you like.

Why does royal icing flip yellow?

That is brought on by “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 subsequent part for detailed storage suggestions.

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

Methods to Retailer

  • Retailer the royal icing. Royal icing constituted of meringue powder might be stored at room temperature for 1-2 weeks. Retailer any leftover icing in an hermetic container, with cling wrap pressed immediately in opposition to the floor of the icing to forestall crusting.
  • Storing adorned cookies. After you’ve frosted your cookies, be certain to let the icing harden fully. 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 possibly can freeze royal icing for as much as 2 months. You probably have a number of icing left over, freeze any colours individually in an hermetic container or freezer bag. Thaw the icing within the fridge after which carry it to room temperature earlier than you employ it.

You too can 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 straightforward 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 velocity 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 type.
  3. I separate and coloration the icing at this level.
  4. With the icing as is, it’s good 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. Should you add an excessive amount of water, sift in additional powdered sugar.

Notes

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

Diet

  • Serving Measurement:
  • 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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