Royal Icing
This page contains affiliate links to products, which means I may earn a small commission from qualifying purchases at no cost to you. For more information, please see my disclaimer page.
The following recipe is based off the tomato sauce recipe from The Frugal Gourmet Cooks Italian
Royal icing is something I’ve been trying to get a handle on. Icing is not easy, no matter what Pinterest shows you, but I think I finally found a mixture that works for me. It’s not too liquidy nor is it too thick so it was much easier to apply than other recipes I’ve tried. I’ve had luck applying it to some Halloween sugar cookies and am looking forward to trying the same recipe for Christmas! I hope you’ll have good luck with this recipe too! Let me know how it went for you in the comments!
Cooking Level
Foundational | BEGINNER | Intermediate | Advanced
Special Tools
A stand mixer is recommended for this recipe, but a hand mixer should work too.
Royal Icing
Ingredients
- 3 pasteurized egg whites
- 4 C powdered sugar
- 1 t vanilla
- 1/2 t cream of tartar
Instructions
- Using a whisk in the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the 3 pasteurized egg whites and the 1 t vanilla until frothy.
- Sift the powdered sugar using a sifter or a fine mesh strainer, and add a little at a time to the egg mixture, adding the 1/2 t cream of tartar halfway through and whisking until the sugar is dissolved.
- Continue to whisk on medium speed for about 6-7 minutes until the icing has formed into soft peaks. You can tell you have reached the soft peaks stage when you lift the whisk attachment from the rest of the icing and it doesn't drip off the whisk but forms a curled peak.
- Divide the royal icing as desired to dye different colors and apply to sugar cookies with a spoon or piping bag. Royal icing can be stored in an airtight container for 2-3 days.
Here are some deranged looking cookies to show you that I am still learning how this icing thing still works!
That moon creeps me out. Just sayin’.
