Royal icing is wonderful for decorating sugar cookies, because it dries to a harder consistency that holds its shape and doesn’t smear everywhere if you want to store or ship your cookies. It also dyes well and it’s easy to stick decorations on royal icing that won’t fall off.
However, traditional royal icing is made with egg whites. This can be a drawback for a few reasons. Some people are allergic or have a sensitivity to eggs. Older adults and very young children should not consume raw egg whites because of concerns of potential salmonella contamination. And sometimes, egg whites create a cement-hard icing that is really unpleasant to bite into! Consistency can be iffy with egg whites.
After some experimentation, I have found that using meringue powder in place of egg whites creates a reliably firm to decorate with yet easy to bite texture to royal icing. I couldn’t find meringue powder in any of the local shops here in Pinewood Corners, but I found it online easily enough. I imagine a large craft store in a bigger city would carry meringue powder in the baking supplies section.
This recipe is super convenient because it can be used to pipe an outline and to flood the icing when you’re decorating. There are only three ingredients: meringue powder, powdered sugar, and water. When mixing the icing, test it by lifting the whisk attachment after blending. If the icing takes between 5-10 seconds to drip from the whisk tines, it’s perfect. If it’s too thick, add a splash of water. If it’s too thin, add a bit more powdered sugar. DON’T add more meringue powder to thicken- this turns your icing into cement very quickly!
This icing is snowy white, and beautiful on its own, but it’s great for coloring as well. I used gel food coloring because it adds nice color and intensity without changing the consistency of the icing significantly.
If you want to add decorations such as sprinkles, sanding sugar or dragees, be sure to sprinkle or place them before the icing dries (about 2 hours at room temperature- longer if the icing is applied in a thicker layer). You can make this icing a day or two ahead, just cover it tightly and refrigerate, bringing it to room temperature and whisking to loosen before using. You may need to whisk in a splash of water if it’s too thick.
Here is the final recipe:
- 4 cups of powdered sugar, sifted (Don’t skip the sift! You really don’t want lumps here!)
- 3 tablespoons meringue powder
- 8-10 tablespoons room temperature water
- Gel food coloring, if using
- Add all ingredients to a large mixing bowl and blend with a whisk attachment with either a stand or hand mixer at high speed for 1-2 minutes until well combined
- Turn off the mixer and lift the whisk as mentioned above- if the icing drips off after 5-10 seconds, it’s good. If less, add more water a tablespoon at a time. If too runny, keep in mind that the more you beat it, the thicker it will get. You can beat for a few more minutes, or add a few more tablespoons of powdered sugar
- If using food coloring, beat in the color a few drops at a time until desired intensity is reached
- Have fun and get creative!
–For more baking fun with Mikki, read “The Christmas Cookie Conundrum”