Good royal icing recipes are hard to come by, let alone magical ones. Treat your treats to this sublime icing recipe, passed down through generations of mythical fairies.
For a FREE, sharable, printable version: click here.
An alternate version was submitted and accepted on They Draw & Cook, which you can find here.
For instructions on finding icing consistency for cookie decorating, click here.
Thanks to my amazing designer/art director Arthur Kononuk, for creating this adorable illustrated recipe and intro for me! I love it and hope you do too.
xo,
Marian
p.s. I linked this post up to Tidy Mom’s I’m Lovin’ It.
HI @ Pamela: The only time I’ve put in some sort of fat (oil or shortening) in melted chocolate was for a chocolate fountain. Other than that I usually just melt the chocolate. Maybe the type of chocolate makes a difference too… I use already-tempered merckens wafers or Lindt chocolate discs.
That being said, I’m no expert in chocolate, that’s for sure! Please visit this talented lady – I’m sure she’ll be able to give you a more definitive answer than me:
http://www.thechocolateaddict.com/
Hi @ Nuraini Noor: Yes, you can substitute the egg white powder for the meringue. Add a little bit of vanilla extract to your recipe as well (1 tsp).
Another option is to use a recipe which uses egg whites instead. Essentially meringue powder is dried egg whites and a few other ingredients… please see the glossary here: http://sweetopia.net/glossary/ and for more information on royal icing and storing it etc., please see here: http://sweetopia.net/2011/01/how-do-you-store-royal-icing-and-how-long-can-you-keep-it/
For an egg white royal icing recipe (and video), click here:
http://sweetopia.net/2011/12/gingerbread-house-royal-icing-video-kitchenaid-7-quart-mixer-giveaway/
Hope that helps. =)
@ marian:
Thanks much I’ll be sure to visit the link!
Btw I tried your sugar cookie recipe today…. OMG, it is beyond delicious!! I absolutely LOVE it. Thank you for sharing it with us
HI @ Misty: I’m so sorry I missed your comment! Hmm, writing on cookie ‘secrets’. Top secret – don’t tell anyone, kay?
For real, yes, thicker icing, but then for clogging it helps to have your piping tip at #1.5 or higher, and that might be too large for what you’re writing. Soo, then you need to consider preventing clogging etc. This post will help for that:
http://sweetopia.net/2010/03/how-to-prevent-your-tips-from-clogging-and-what-to-do-if-it-happens-top-10-tips/
Other than that, practice a bit first on parchment to get the feel for it, and if you’re having trouble with the actual piping (making it look like you want it to), use a projector or write with an edible ink marker first and then trace with the icing.
You could even go so far as to make royal icing transfers (if the lettering is big enough), let them dry, and then transfer to the cake.
I hope this helps! xo
@ Yvette:
A 2 lb bag of sugar says it’s has 30 servings at 1/4 a cup each. If I did my math right it’s a 2 lb bag and 1.8 cups so a little bit more than 1 and 3/4 cups extra. I’m in the U.S. too and most of the bags don’t say how much is in them, I found one brand that does. I haven’t tried it yet but that’s how the math works out! Good luck!
What a fabulous illustration! I have meringue powder in the mail…can’t wait to give this recipe a try
Question…how long does it typically last for if stored in an airtight container in the fridge? Thanks!!
@ marian:Thank you so much Marion! I will try thicker icing. I usually use a #1 tip for writing. I guess I just need to make the icing thicker. Thank you for your time!
@ Kendra:
Answered all my questions!
Just saw your post on storing royal icing
Thanks!
http://sweetopia.net/2011/01/how-do-you-store-royal-icing-and-how-long-can-you-keep-it/
Thanks@ Pamela!
@ Alison: Super information – thanks for sharing!
@ Misty: No problem. =)
@ Kendra: Awesome, have fun decorating!
Thanks so much! This is awesome!
How many grams in 5 tablespoons of merengue powder? Thanks…I always use it in tablespoons, I’d like to know im grams…thanks…
I don’t know what I love more, the recipe or the illustration
Thanks for sharing!!
Hi Marian
I made some cookies and used royal icing to decorate. I wanted to dry them quickly so I was SUPPOSED to put them in a warm oven, that was OFF. So I turned on the oven to 175 to warm. Then I would have turned it off, and let it cool a bit then put in the cookies. But I forgot to turn off the oven and baked them for almost 30 minutes before I realized! the edges of the white turned yellow/ brownish. Any ideas of how hot to fix this?
Hi @ Maria Helena: Here you go: =)
http://instagr.am/p/kDEfB/
@ Krista Heij-Barber: Thanks!
Hello @ Pamela: Oh boy! Would you be able to share a photo with me on my facebook page please?
Lovely site Marian
Thanks Marian, your hints always helped me a lot…
Marian – first off, you are amazing! I have cookies to make for a baby shower and can’t wait to put all of your tips & tricks to use. For the royal icing recipe, what is the yield?
Thanks!
Those illustrations are adorable!!
Hi @ Melinda: It depends on the size of the cookie of course, but I’d say about 40 medium-sized cookies for sure. (medium being about 3″ by 3″).
Hi @ Monique Costa, @ Jaime: Thanks, ladies!
What is the shelf life of royal icing made with the meringue powder? I’ve heard anywhere from 3 months to a year, but I wanted to ask an expert!
Thanks
Kristina
Hi!
I am sure you have answered this in the past but I have never found it. I have not been very successful with making royal icing this way for cookies. It never tastes very great or sweet. I was wondering if it was the ratio of cream of tartar and meringue powder. I looked on the back of my meringue powder and it has some cream of tartar in it. Should I omit the extra tartar powder? I use Wilton’s meringue.
Thanks!
HI @ Melissa: I use the same products you mentioned and don’t mind the taste, however, you can change it up by adding a little bit of lemon juice (or extract), vanilla or almond extract (or any other flavour you like), and yes, you can omit the cream of tartar. The icing will still work. Have fuuun decorating and please share some of your cookie pics on my facebook page if you like! xo
Marian,
I just made my first ever batch of royal icing using your recipe. I live in TX and we are currently having about a 60% humidity day. Anyways, I followed your instructions 100% (even used a timer) and the icing tastes great. But it’s REALLY thick. I took a little out to tint it and ended up having to add quite a lot of water to get it anywhere close to what your videos show for the 10 second rule. Ended up putting too much water in but I am just practicing so it was fine. I decided I should use my mixer (I have a KitchenAid) for thinning the remaining icing because doing it by hand was exhausting. I measured and it took 10 teaspoons of water to thin it out (I didn’t thin it to the exact consistency because I still need to add coloring and didn’t want it too thin). Does this sound right? Do you typically have to thin yours out as well? And what about coloring the icing. Any tips/tricks for that? Thanks for your videos and tutorials. I’m plannning on making my daughter’s 1st birthday cookies and I have until September to get it somewhat presentable!
How do you get the royal icing to be so shiny? Mine never seems to be.
Hi @ Rebecca: Yes, I always thin mine. I will definitely do a coloring icing video for you!
@ Rebecca: I wrote about shiny cookies in this post here: http://sweetopia.net/2011/11/gluten-free-coconut-cupcakes-with-coconut-frosting-shiny-royal-icing/
If I want to make less royal icing, can I just half the recipe? Or is there a ratio to each ingredient? Same goes for the shortbread recipe. Can I reduce it down by ratio? Thanks!
Hi @ Lynx: Yes to both! I’ve tried halving each, and it works. =)
Hi,I am going to make the sugar cookies for my daughter’s baby shower and am going to add lemon zest along with the vanilla to the cookie dough. I also want to add lemon juice to the RI for extra flavor. Do I need to compensate for the lemon juice so it is not too thin?
Also how much lemon zest should I add to your sugar cookie recipe?
Do you prefer gel or paste for coloring?
Thank you so much!
Theresa
Thanks so much for this recipe. I’ve looked all over for a Royal Icing using Meringue Powder as I didn’t like the one that came with the Meringue Powder. I use Americolor Brand. I ended up creating my own, but never really satisfied with it and never having the time and confidence to continue to experiment. I used 2tsp of corn syrup in mine to get a glossy finish, but it was a hit and miss on whether that would happen and I can never work out the reason for this. I decided to go for it and try yours last night and immediately saw a difference in texture and the taste was so light. I love it. I live in Florida and always battling the humidity, hoping the cream of tartar will help, although I’m not quite sure on what it does. Should probably look it up. Thanks again for all the wonderful information you give. Your cookies are superb!!
Hannah
Hi @ Theresa: A little bit of lemon juice (a few teaspoons) won’t do too much to your consistency… You could even adjust the consistency afterwards anyways (more water to make thinner, more icing sugar to make it thicker). If 2 teaspoons isn’t enough for your taste, for sure, add more.
Lemon zest – About a Tablespoon is nice. After you’ve done one batch, if you like it with more of a zing, add more the next time.
Gel (Americolor) as I like the squeeze bottle, and it seems to bleed less with humidity etc.
Hi @ Hannah Fedorowicz: The corn syrup thing is still something i’m working on too… Here’s a post which might be interesting for you to read (people’s feedback in the comments): http://sweetopia.net/2011/11/gluten-free-coconut-cupcakes-with-coconut-frosting-shiny-royal-icing/
For humidity, this post would be helpful for you:
http://sweetopia.net/2011/07/how-to-avoid-spots-on-icing/
If you’re interested, I talk about cream of tartar here: http://sweetopia.net/2011/12/gingerbread-house-royal-icing-video-kitchenaid-7-quart-mixer-giveaway/
Hi Marian,
I am so happy I found your website. Thanks so much for all your helpful tips. I only have a hand mixer, that does NOT have a paddle attachment. What will happen if I mix the royal icing with my hand mixer?
Thanks,
Claudia
Hi @ Claudia Cortez: It incorporates a little more air, so you’ll have more air bubbles. You can still make it though…. Let your icing sit for a while after you’ve made it, and the air bubbles rise to the top. Pop them by gently stirring.
I copied your royal icing recipe and noticed that the amount of powdered sugar is 2.25 lbs. The powdered sugar that is available in my store comes in 2 lbs bags. How much should I decrease the water to ensure the consistency of your finished icing.
thank you
So today I made a batch of your sugar cookies and they were wonderfulal and delicious but when I tried to make your recipe for royal icing I found it rather weird. I don’t know if it’s just me but does RI have a background taste? I’m not sure if its because of the meringue. I also only mixed for 6 mins insead of 10 is that the reason for the awkward taste or is it just me?
Hi @ Lois Black: I have a video which shows how to find the right consistency on my YouTube channel. Have you seen it? Let me know if you haven’t, and have trouble finding it.
Hi @ Katelyn: That’s hard for me to say, as I can’t taste yours
Just a few ideas to help the taste if you don’t like it. -Try a different brand of meringue powder. Add a teaspoon of your favorite flavouring… i.e. Lemon, more vanilla, or almond.
Okay I will try that and what brand of meringue power do you use? I use Wilton because I don’t know where else to buy it..
Thank you do much for your response. I made the recipe last night and I liked the taste. I felt my icing was not the right consistency. After following the recipe, about how much water do you add to get it to the right consistency(10 second rule)?
@ marian:
Hi!
I am SO inspired by your website! Such a great find. What is the shelf life of your royal icing recipe? What is the best way to store? Sorry if it’s addressed somewhere else…I couldn’t find it.
@ Lynette: Absolutely, here is the post:
http://sweetopia.net/2011/01/how-do-you-store-royal-icing-and-how-long-can-you-keep-it/
i happen to use wilton because thats what i can get…and i just read the ingredients and it shows that there is cream of tartar in it already…so should i add the extra cream of tartar?
Hi @ kristine: I often use Wilton too, and yes, I add it, but, have also tried it without. You can use it without, no problem!
HI @ Claudia: It varies depending on the humidity, but at least 1/2 a cup. I will be doing a post on that with a video.
I have children with allergies to egg. I was wondering if you have an eggless royal icing recipe? Thanks for all your great tips!
Hi @ Shelly: You could try just mixing/beating icing sugar, water and cream of tartar. I haven’t tried it, but think it would be worth the shot.
Hi, I cant find meringue powder in my country. There is any substitute? thanks
Hi @ Karla: Yes, egg whites. You can find the recipe in the recipe section under, Gingerbread House Icing. All the best to you and have fun decorating!
How long do can you keep this recipe before it hardens up? Can it be made in advance?
Hi @ Thesnarkybaker: This post has your answers: http://sweetopia.net/2011/01/how-do-you-store-royal-icing-and-how-long-can-you-keep-it/
Hello Marian,
Just a quickie. How do you mix your icing and colours together? I just use a bowl and a tooth pick, however I find I’m there for ages mixing. Is this just a normal part of the process or is there a more efficient way?
I Absolutely love this website, and have decorated biscuits twice, both times successfully, all thanks to your help & advice, so thank you!! X
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Take care & Enjoy,
Nathalie
X
P.S Please, please, PLEASE release a book. I would be first on Amazon, putting in a ‘Preorder’!!!! Thanks again.