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Royal icing is a frosting made of icing sugar and meringue powder, and sometimes flavorings are added. Because it dries hard, it’s a preferred choice for decorative cookies. You’ll use a variety of consistencies of royal icing throughout the book for the various techniques, as well as for decorative floral accents.
Decorates approximately 4 dozen 3-inch (7-and-1/2-centimeter) cookies
8 tablespoons (98 grams) meringue powder (found in baking supply stores)
3/4 cup (180 milliliters) water
8 cups (1 kilogram) powdered sugar such as Gefen
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (I use Wilton Imitation Clear Vanilla Extract) so it doesn’t darken the icing)
water in a spray bottle, for thinning
food coloring (optional)
Add the meringue powder to a small bowl. Add the water and mix well with a paddle attachment. The texture should be smooth and not grainy.
Sift the powdered sugar before adding it to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or a large mixing bowl. Add the meringue mixture. Combine on low speed for one minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
Add the vanilla and continue to mix on medium-low speed for five minutes, scraping down the bowl as needed. The icing is ready when it turns bright white, is glossy, and is thick enough to hold a stiff peak. (This is “stiff consistency” icing; see below.)
Refer to images in the gallery for a visual reference. STIFF Icing that’s just been mixed has a stiff consistency that holds a peak. It won’t flow out of a piping bag and it’s not ideal for icing the base of a cookie. The look and consistency of this icing is similar to cake frosting. You cannot count stiff icing in seconds (see tip); it does not settle when you cut through it with a knife. The icing doesn’t settle within itself. Best for: Making petalled flowers, leaves, ruffles, stenciling, brushed embroidery, and shell borders PIPING This consistency is comparable to that of toothpaste and should flow nicely out of a piping bag. To achieve this consistency, use a spray bottle to spritz some water in a bowl of stiff-consistency icing and mix it in. The icing should create a soft peak once piped, with the peak quickly losing its form once it settles. If the icing snaps or breaks while piping, it’s too thick and more water should be added. If piped lines don’t keep their form, the icing is too thin and will need to be thickened (see below). Best for: Outlining shapes with sharp edges/corners and piping letters Icing consistency count: 25 seconds (see tip) MEDIUM Add more water with a spray bottle to piping-consistency icing to achieve a medium consistency. Always add the water in increments, mix thoroughly, and add more if necessary. The texture should be between flood and piping consistency. This allows you to outline and fill shapes with the same icing, eliminating the separation between them. Best for: Filling in small sections, preventing dips in the design, royal icing transfers (described in the cookbook), script writing, bead borders, flowers with flat petals, a puffy look Icing consistency count: 12 to 15 seconds (see tip) FLOOD Add enough water to stiff-consistency icing so it’s a little runny but doesn’t lose its shape. When spread on a cookie, it should stay on top, not run off the sides. If it does, the icing is too thin and air bubbles may appear. Add more stiff-consistency icing to the mixture and stir. Best for: Filling larger cookie surfaces, wet-on-wet technique (described in the cookbook), and flooding large cookies Icing consistency count: 5 to 10 seconds (see tip)
The simplest way to thin royal icing is to add water using a spray bottle. Spray a small amount of water in a bowl of icing, mix it with a spatula, and repeat until you get the desired consistency.
After years of decorating, I can gauge the consistency by eye, but that didn’t happen overnight—repetition and determination got me there. Don’t get discouraged if you haven’t perfected the technique early in your journey. With time and patience, you will.
At some point, you may have to alter flood-consistency icing back to a stiffer consistency. You may have added too much water or need to convert flood icing back to a medium or piping consistency to create fine lines or small details. To do this, add more stiff-consistency icing to the thinner icing and mix until you reach the desired consistency (this is my preferred method). Or add powdered sugar, one teaspoon at a time, and mix until you have the consistency you want.
Text and photographs © 2022 Emma’s Sweets Ltd. from The Beginner’s Guide to Cookie Decorating : Easy Techniques and Expert Tips for Designing and Icing Colorful Treats by Mary Valentino. Published by Quarry Books, an imprint of Quarto Publishing Group USA Inc.
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hey is there a substitute for the meringue powder? thx
You can try checking out some of these substitutes but not sure how they would work in this recipe- https://food52.com/blog/26844-best-meringue-powder-substitutes
hey is there a substitute for the meringue powder?