The Only Royal Icing Recipe You’ll Ever Need
It’s finally (/already!) December and we are in Christmas cookie season! And Christmas music season, despite Zach’s constant protests… A while back I shared my sugar cookie recipe and gingerbread cookies complete with a simple decorating frosting. Since then, many of you have been asking me for a classic royal icing recipe to go with them. Well finally, your requests have been answered. Today I have a classic and easy royal icing recipe. While I’ll admit that the frosting I shared with my sugar cookie recipe is still my personal favorite, this is great if you’re looking for more precisely decorated cookies with a matte finish. This recipe is great for intricate designs and I have plenty of tips (and a video) so yours comes out perfectly every time. Let’s get started!
What You Need
Here’s what you need:
Powdered Sugar. Often referred to as “confectioners sugar” or “icing sugar”, this will be the base of your icing (and the reason it’s nice and sweet!).Meringue Powder. This ingredient is non-negotiable, it’s critical for the firm finish of your royal icing. I have heard that different brands may vary in taste, but locally I’m only able to find Wilton-brand meringue powder and I’ve never received any complaints!Water. This is necessary to thin the icing to the proper consistency.Vanilla Extract. If you want your royal icing to remain pure white in color, use a clear vanilla extract. You can make the icing a different flavor by substituting or adding different extracts as well, just ensure that they do not contain oil, which can break down the meringue (just check the label).
Royal Icing doesn’t have a great reputation in terms of flavor. While it’ll never taste as good as, say, cream cheese frosting, I think its poor reputation is a little bit unfair, and possibly due to the fact that so many recipes just leave out vanilla extract, which I’ll never understand! This simple ingredient adds a beautiful flavor, don’t leave it out!
How to Make Royal Icing
SAM’S TIP: As when making meringues, it’s critical that you beat your ingredients to stiff peaks when making royal icing. Stiff peaks should be thick, firm, and fluffy and will hold their shape firmly, as depicted in the photo above. If your icing is drooping over, weepy, or not holding its shape, you need to keep whisking. Now all that’s left to do is decorate! Use your stiff icing for crisp, well-defined outlines and details, and use your thinner icing for flooding and filling. I like to use an inexpensive set of scribing tools to help smooth the thinner frosting, but you can certainly just use a toothpick instead! Enjoy! Let’s bake together! I’ll walk you through all the steps in my written recipe and video below! If you try this recipe, be sure to tag me on Instagram, and you can also find me on YouTube and Facebook
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