Royal Icing with Meringue Powder
Royal Icing with meringue powder is far easier to make than it is with egg white. You can find meringue powder at hobby stores or order it online. It has a long shelf life of two years and can be purchased in small or large containers.
Prep: 20 minutes
Difficulty: easy
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons meringue powder
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1 3/4 to 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
- 5 to 6 tablespoons cool water
- Food color gel (optional)
Directions
Decorate your favorite Christmas cookies and gingerbread cookies with my Royal Icing.
Making Royal Icing
- Place the meringue powder and salt in a large mixing bowl. Add the cool water and stir slowly to allow the powder and salt to dissolve. Allow the mixture to sit for 5 minutes for the powder to hydrate. Stir again. Rub a little of the mixture between your fingers to feel for lumps or grittiness. Old meringue powder won’t dissolve properly, and your icing will be grainy and sandy.
- Beat the meringue mixture on low speed to create a network of very fine bubbles. Add the sugar, gradually increasing the speed to medium and then high over several minutes. Continue beating until the icing is fluffy. Add a little more water or powdered sugar as needed to get a stiff, glossy icing that holds a tall peak.
- If desired, divide the icing into smaller containers and mix with food coloring gel. Add color a drop at a time and mix until you reach your desired color. Royal icing is typically piped with a pastry bag.
- Cover each bowl with a damp paper towel and cover that with a layer of plastic wrap to keep the icing from crusting over. Use the icing right away or refrigerate until needed.
Making the Right Consistency of Icing
- Royal Icing can be made in three consistencies, piped or detail icing, medium or outline, or flooding/dipping.
- To make piped or detail icing: Beat the icing with a hand or stand mixer until thick and glossy, and stiff peaks form. A stiff peak will stand in a point when a spoon is pressed into the icing and pulled up. Do not overbeat the icing; it will lose its glossy sheen and could flake off the cookie when dry. This stiff icing can be used to create detailed piped textures with pastry tips such as star, grass, and leaf.
- To make medium or outline icing: Thin the icing with a small amount of water so that it has the consistency of toothpaste. The icing holds its shape when piped through the same star tip, but the details are softer. This is the icing to use for outlining and writing. Use a small round pastry tip (#2 to #3) to create outlines.
- To make flooding or dipping icing: Icing thinned for flooding/dipping should have the consistency of thick syrup (cold molasses). Icing for dipping might need to be very slightly thinner. Slowly add water a bit at a time and stir. Flooding icing should be used within a few hours, or it will start to separate. Whether used to flood or dip cookies, this icing creates a smooth surface on cookies. Use a slightly larger pastry tip (#3 to #4) to flood cookies.
Tips
- I include ingredients to make icing for one full cookie recipe. If you are making cookies in large quantity, double the ingredients.