Royal Icing

Poodle shaped Chocolate Cut-Out Cookies decorated with Royal Icing

(The poodle cookie cutter I used is available at Amazon)

Royal icing dries smooth and hard like candy. It is ideal for icing cookies, making decorations, and cementing things like gingerbread houses together. I've found two recipes that work well with royal icing, though I personally recommend the one that uses egg whites as opposed to meringue powder as its easier to work with a provides a better finish. Egg whites can now be be bought in a pasteurized form in a carton, so bacteria should not be a concern with using raw egg whites in icing recipes.

Royal Icing Recipe 1

Makes about 3 cups of icing

1/2 tsp	1.6 g	Cream of Tartar
3	3	Egg Whites
4 cups	500 g	Confectioners Sugar

1. Beat all ingredients for 7-10 minutes or until icing forms stiff peaks. If icing is too thick, add water a teaspoon at a time until desired consistency is reached.
2. Store icing in an airtight container until use.

Royal Icing Recipe 2

Makes about 3 cups of icing

3 tbsp	35 g	Meringue Powder*
6 tbsps	90 mL	Water
4 cups	500 g	Confectioners Sugar

1. Beat all ingredients for 7-10 minutes or until icing forms stiff peaks. If icing is too thick, add water a teaspoon at a time until desired consistency is reached.
2. Store icing in an airtight container until use.

*Meringue Powder can be purchased at most hobby shops where cake and cookie decorating supplies are found, such as Michaels. It can also be purchased online through dealers such as Amazon, Global Sugar Art, Golda's Kitchen (Canada), and Wilton.