Ever see those beautiful, perfectly decorated sugar cookies and wonder how they were made? Or want to create a gingerbread house from scratch rather than purchasing an expensive one? The key to making both of these is royal icing.
Made from pasteurized egg whites, powdered sugar and flavoring of some source, royal icing is a white icing that hardens and dries smooth. It can be tinted to create different colors or, keep it white and use edible marker pens to color the cookie.
Once you get the knack of making it down, you’ll be able to make it with your eyes closed.
Ingredients
- 4 pasteurized egg whites
- 1 tsp clear extract of choice (like almond, vanilla or lemon)
- 4 c sifted powdered sugar
How to Make Royal Icing
1. Gather supplies.
2. Sift 4 cups of powdered sugar.
3. Separate whites and yolks from 4 eggs.
4. Pour egg whites into mixing bowl and add extract.
5. Mix on medium for a few minutes until egg whites are frothy.
6. On medium speed, mix half the powdered sugar.
7. Scrape down edges.
8. Add the remaining powdered sugar and mix.
9. Mix on high for approximately 7 minutes.
10. When properly mixed, it should form peaks.
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11. Cover while not using.
12. Use gel tints for coloring.
Kitchen Crew Tips
- Use a gel food coloring rather than liquid to tint icing.
- The color becomes darker when dried, so tint accordingly.
- Keep icing covered when not using because it dries quickly.
- When working with multiple piping bags, put a damp paper town in a cup. When not in use, place your piping tip on the paper towel to keep the tip from drying out.
- If you can’t find pasteurized eggs, look for egg whites alone that are pasteurized.
Once you prepare the icing, check out these tips on How to Decorate Cookies With Royal Icing.
Feeling adventurous? You can even make adorable rosettes with royal icing. Check out our how-to article here.