Description

This classic Royal Icing recipe creates a smooth, glossy, and firm icing perfect for decorating cookies with intricate designs. Made with powdered sugar, meringue powder, and lemon juice or water, it’s versatile for outlining and flooding cookies to get professional-looking results. The icing hardens to a beautiful shine, making it ideal for detailed and long-lasting cookie decorations.

Ingredients

Scale

Royal Icing

4 cups powdered sugar (more if needed)
4 to 5 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice or water (more if needed)
3 Tablespoons meringue powder

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Instructions

Make royal icing recipe: Add 4 cups powdered sugar, 4-5 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice (or water), and 3 Tablespoons meringue powder into a large bowl. Beat on low speed for 1 minute, then scrape down the sides. Beat on medium speed until stiff peaks form and the icing is glossy, which takes about 5 to 7 minutes with a stand mixer or 10-12 minutes with a handheld mixer. The icing should be thick enough not to fall off the paddle. If too thick, add a little more lemon juice; if too runny, add more powdered sugar.
Tint royal icing: Transfer the icing into separate bowls for adding food coloring, then fill piping bags as needed for decorating.
Outline cookies: Using a stiffer icing consistency and a fine piping tip (such as #2), carefully pipe an outline around your cookies. This acts as a dam to prevent the flood icing from spilling over the edges.
Make flood icing: To make flood icing, thin some of the royal icing by adding 1 teaspoon of water or lemon juice at a time until the consistency resembles thick honey, allowing it to drizzle slowly off a spoon.
Spread royal icing: Using an icing bottle or spoon, fill in the cookie centers within the outlined borders with the flood icing. Use a small knife or toothpick to spread evenly and pop any air bubbles that appear on the surface.
Dry cookies: Leave the decorated cookies on the counter at room temperature until the icing hardens completely. For best results, dry in front of a heater fan to maintain a shiny finish.

Notes

Substitutes: You can replace meringue powder with 2 egg whites.
For outlining: Use the thicker icing before thinning for flood consistency.
For flood icing: Add additional liquid (lemon juice or water) one teaspoon at a time until you achieve a honey-like drizzle consistency.
Tip: When not using the icing, cover the bowl with a damp paper towel to prevent it from drying out.
Drying: Using a heater fan helps to dry the icing quickly and keeps the shine.
Storage: Store royal icing covered tightly with plastic wrap in the refrigerator for up to one month. Bring to room temperature and stir before use.

Nutrition

Serving Size: Approximately 1/8 batch (about 2 tablespoons)
Calories: 90
Sugar: 22g
Sodium: 5mg
Fat: 0g
Saturated Fat: 0g
Unsaturated Fat: 0g
Trans Fat: 0g
Carbohydrates: 22g
Fiber: 0g
Protein: 0g
Cholesterol: 0mg