Royal icing is fantastic (if you find a recipe for it that you love). For those of you who don't know, royal icing is thick and hard is mostly used for edging cookie tops, or for gluing together gingerbread houses. Although you can use meringue powder, I use egg whites. I always have those on hand, and what else would I need meringue powder for anyway? Not much.
Cookies decorated with royal icing often look so pretty. If I knew anyone would show up I would totally have a cookie decorating party at my house to beautify sugar cookies, but that's besides the point. Royal icing can easily step up a cookie's appearance and make it look store-bought and professional.
I know most people seem to avoid using royal icing either because they weren't aware of it. I wish I knew about it when all my gingerbread houses fell apart as a kid... Or they think you have to have mad kitchen skills to use royal icing... Or they think it is just WAY too much work.
Seriously, royal icing is a total snap. If you have a stand or hand mixer, a fine piping tip, and a freezer bag you have no excuses! I decorated a batch of sugar cookies in about a half hour, and that was with both kids at home with me and awake. Baking is generally so much easier when the kids are asleep... at least for me. Otherwise its frosting a cake while Liam tries to "help" me, and Jack is sitting on my foot. Please tell me other people have this issue too. Anywho...
I am in no way saying that my cookies look awesome (as it is very possible to). They are a bit awkward because I was icing them with the kids hanging on me. Literally. If you can't tell, the cookie shapes are hard hats, electric drills, and hammers. This is what happens when I let Liam pick the cookie cutters. The only food coloring I had in the house was the standard grocery store kind, which does not give much color with this icing. If you want big bold colors you should use concentrated gel food coloring like the Wilton brand that you can easily find at craft stores in the baking section. This pink was as close to red as I could get with what I had. Red is Liam's favorite color. If he had it his way the entire world would be red.
There are several ways to decorate with royal icing. I have tried several, and this is my favorite. I find it to be the quickest and the least messy. Always good when you're short on time.
Once your icing is very thick and glossy use a spatula to push it into a freezer bag or piping bag with a small tip. Get as much air out of the bag as you can and get a good grip on the bag. Slowly and steadily outline your cookie in the shape you want.
Once all your cookies have been outlined leaving no gaps or bubbles, add water 1 tablespoon at a time to your bag and squish it around to mix evenly. When it feels like the correct consistency start filling in the center of the cookies. Use a small butter knife or spoon back to close gaps or smooth out areas. The icing should now be thin enough to flow easily and smoothly cover the cookie, but thick enough to stay in the bag until squeezed out and not become watery.
The icing should be glossy and start to harden within a few minutes. Leave out to dry in open air. If the cookies dry in an airtight container it will take longer and the color will sometimes not dry as brightly. Ideally the colors should be left out for several hours before they can cleanly be stacked on top of each other. And never put these cookies in the fridge. The icing will soften and become tacky.
I love cookies, but I get grumpy if the icing is only around for looks, not taste. I always flavor my icing to coordinate with the cookie flavor. It really makes a difference. This batch used 1/2 tsp vanilla extract with a 1/4 tsp of almond extract.
If you see air bubbles on a finished cookie, just nudge it with your piping tip and it should pop easily. Make sure you do this before it starts to firm.
I made these very simple because although I was in a baking mood, ultimately I made these for a 3 year old, so how fancy do they really need to be? If you want to go nuts and make your cookies more elaborate with extra designs or additional colors, wait several hours for the primary layer to dry completely first.
Update:
This is a recent example of mine to give you more ideas. I did the royal icing and filler in basic white, then after letting it harden overnight I went back with a half batch of royal icing dyed half black and half orange and did Giants baseball designs. The lettering spread out a bit and looks messy, but the designs worked just fine. Just use a Wilton #2 piping tip and if you are using multiple colors like I did, make sure to alternate them often or the icing will dry. It dried VERY quickly, so work fast, but don't feel rushed. Make your designs slow enough that the icing will go exactly where you want it before you lift the tip and move it around too much. Have fun!
royal icing
Perfect glossy hard icing for a single batch of cookies
Ingredients
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 egg whites
- 1/4 tsp cream of tartar
- food coloring (optional)
- flavor extracts (optional)
Instructions
1. Set egg whites out ahead of time so they will be room temperature.2. Using a stand or hand mixer whisk the egg whites, powdered sugar, and cream of tartar. Start on a low speed, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl when necessary. Once it is fully incorporated turn the mixer up to medium speed and continue to whisk for about 7 minutes. The icing should now be very stiff and glossy.3. At this point add food coloring or flavor extracts is using and mix for an additional minute. The icing will start to set now, so move quickly. Scrape the icing out of the bowl into a freezer or piping bag fitted with a small tip. Squeeze out any extra air and firmly grab the bulk of the bag, keeping the air out. Slowly outline your cookie making a smooth line. Try to avoid making gaps or bubbles, and fix them as soon as you notice them because the icing will dry quickly. 4. Once your outlines are done add 1 tablespoon of water at a time (1 or 2 should suffice) into your icing bag and squeeze the outside of the bag to mix well. Begin to fill in the cookie centers. The icing now should be thick enough to not be watery, but thin enough to flow and fill in the center easily. If you need help to smooth out the cookie centers use a butter knife or the back of a small spoon. If you notice any small bubbles on the cookies, gently nudge them with your piping tip and they should easily pop. Do this quickly before the icing begins to set.5. Allow the icing to dry in open air for up to 6 hours before stacking for storage in an airtight container (not in the fridge). If you are planning on addition layers of decoration for your cookies, wait the 6 hours first.
Details
Prep time: Cook time: Total time: Yield: 2 cups
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