The recipe I’m sharing with you is my favorite because not only is it delicious (of course!) But it has the perfect texture. There’s a not-so-secret ingredient that allows the frosting to harden enough to stack and ship while remaining smooth inside. No more biting into a beautifully decorated cookie and cringing because the frosting is rock hard!
Ingredients
5 tablespoons of meringue powder
3/4 of teaspoon cream of tartar
3/4 cup warm water
2 pounds powdered sugar
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1 teaspoon glycerin
12 drops of white gel food coloring
1 teaspoon oil-free clear vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon oil-free light almond extract
1/4 teaspoon oil-free clear butter flavoring
Instructions
Start by using a whisk to mix 5 tablespoons of powdered meringue and 3/4 teaspoon of cream of tartar with 3/4 cup of warm water. Mix it for about 30 seconds, making sure to remove all the lumps.
If you are unfamiliar with meringue powder, it is used in royal frosting as a substitute for raw egg whites. Look, Mom, no Salmonella! It also helps stabilize the frosting and give it a nice texture. You can find it at your local craft store in the baking section or online. I started out using Wilton brand meringue powder, but found that I prefer the CK flavor.
Now get ready for a brutal arm workout! In a separate large bowl, sift two pounds of powdered sugar. I always make a mess doing this so if you figure out how to do this without having sugar all over it, you are a superstar in my eyes! Pssst … I heard an unconfirmed rumor that you can skip sieving as long as you are not making the pipe with a really small tip.
Then add the water mixture to the powdered sugar and mix for about a minute to combine it all. Next, add 2 tablespoons of light corn syrup, 1 teaspoon of glycerin, 12 drops of white gel food coloring, and your flavorings (I like to use 1 teaspoon of vanilla, 1/2 teaspoon of almonds, and 1/4 of butter). Corn syrup is an ingredient that is generally mentioned as optional in classic royal icing recipes. Add some shine and elasticity to the frosting. Glycerin is the not-so-secret ingredient that keeps the frosting from hardening like a rock. You can find it in the baking section of craft stores or online. The purpose of the white food coloring is to make the frosting a nice bright white color instead of off-white.
Now, put your mixer to work! Beat the frosting over medium heat for about 6 to 8 minutes, until you can make a stiff peak that will hold its shape. Pause and scrape down the sides of the bowl while mixing if necessary.
Take a step back, lick your fingers, and smile at the fluffy white sweetness you’ve created!
If you are saving the royal icing for later use, I suggest you store it in Tupperware containers (which you use for icing only, see Keeping Oil Out of Royal Icing for the lesson I learned the hard way), covered with plastic wrap and hermetically sealed.
If you’re ready to start decorating, separate your frosting into smaller bowls, color with gel food coloring, and add water (a little bit at a time) to get the consistency you want.
Well what are you waiting for? Now that you’re a royal icing ninja, grab your sugar cookie recipe and start baking!
