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–+ servings
heart shaped sugar cookie with pink royal icing and white details.
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5 from 9 votes

Royal Icing Recipe For Beginners

Prep Time1 hour
Drying time6 hours
Total Time7 hours
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 100 cookies
Calories: 37kcal
Author: The Food Charlatan

Equipment

  • piping bags
  • Piping tip #1 I like to have several on hand for different colors and icing consistencies
  • Piping tip #2 I like to have several on hand for different colors and icing consistencies
  • toothpicks at least 100. just kidding. kinda.
  • spray bottle full of water, optional

Ingredients

  • white vinegar for degreasing; do not add to icing
  • 5 tablespoons meringue powder*
  • 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
  • 1/2 cup warm water (not hot) plus an extra 4-5 tablespoons, go slow
  • 1 teaspoon clear vanilla extract dark vanilla will tint your icing
  • 1/2 teaspoon almond extract**
  • 1/2 teaspoon coconut extract**
  • 1 tablespoon corn syrup
  • 2 pounds powdered sugar 7 and 1/2 cups
  • gel food coloring use a decent brand
  • drops of water use a spray bottle, you need tiny baby amounts

Instructions

  • Vinegar. Start by degreasing your mixing tools. Dampen a paper towel with some white vinegar and rub it all over the inside of your mixing bowl. Rub it all over your beaters. If you have a stand mixer, use the whisk attachment. This vinegar (or you can use lemon juice) will remove any speck of oil that might be on your tools. Any grease or oil that gets in the icing will ruin it! (It can cause it not to whip properly...and the icing may never dry.) Let your bowl dry completely from the vinegar.
  • Make the Icing. Add 5 tablespoons meringue powder*, 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt, and 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar to the bowl.
  • In a glass measuring cup, add 1/2 cup warm water. Add 1 teaspoon clear vanilla extract, 1/2 teaspoon almond extract, and 1/2 teaspoon coconut extract to the water. Pour the water into the bowl, then add 1 tablespoon corn syrup. Beat with the whisk to combine.
  • Begin pouring in the 2 pounds of powdered sugar while mixing on low. Go slowly, stopping to let the sugar incorporate before adding more. I pour it straight from the bag and don't bother sifting. (If it is very very clumpy, I would consider it.) Keep adding it slowly until it's all been incorporated! The mixture will be very thick.
  • Carefully, 1 tablespoon at a time, add in more water with the mixer on medium speed. Add a tablespoon and let it incorporate completely. Then add in another. I usually add about 4 tablespoons water total (in addition to the initial half cup). You might need up to 5 tablespoons.
  • Keep the mixer on for at least 3-5 minutes. The icing should be thick and sturdy, and not separated at all. Scrape the sides of the bowl and beat again. It should hold a stiff peak when you lift the beater upside down. You need to add bits of water until you have a thick mixture that is the consistency of toothpaste. See photos. When you lift your spatula and drizzle the icing over itself, it should take about 30 seconds for the lines to completely disappear. This is your very thick base frosting.***
  • Decide how many colors you will be using, and add a cup or two of the base icing to separate bowls. Use more than you think you need! (Especially if you plan to divide each color again to have a piping consistency and a flood consistency.)
  • Color the icing. Use a good brand of gel food coloring to dye your icing. Add a squirt or more of the different colors you want to each bowl, depending on how intense you want the color to be. Stir it in and see what you think. Add more if you want. The thing about gel food coloring is that the colors will keep intensifying over time. It's best to wait at least an hour after tinting your frosting to let the colors develop. Be careful that you don't add TOO much and end up with a color that's deeper than you want. If you want red icing, you are going to have to use a lot! Stop when it's a dark pink and see what it looks like after an hour. (if you have time. If not, just dump in a ton! Call me for more advice on how to be a moderate human!)
  • The reason we are tinting the frosting now when it is so thick, is so that you end up with the exact same color even if you choose to separate the icing again (to have a piping-consistency-green and a flood-consistency-green, for example.)
  • Divide the colors again if you want both piping and flood icing. (You can skip this if you want! Go to the next step) You should now have a bowl of thick base icing that is each color that you want to use. Get a second bowl for each color. Add half the base frosting to the new bowl. Use a spray bottle or tiny drops of water to thin each bowl to the desired consistency.
    For piping consistency (outlining or lettering): you want it to be about the consistency of thick toothpaste. You might not need to add any more water, depending on how much water you added to begin with. It should hold a line drawn in the icing for about 25-30 seconds.
    For a flood consistency (filling large areas, wet-on-wet designs): keep adding sprays or drops of water until the icing has the consistency of honey or shampoo. When you drizzle the icing on itself, you should see the mark for about 6-8 seconds before it disappears. This icing takes the longest to dry, but it dries perfectly smooth and flat, and is quite beautiful.
  • Medium consistency frosting: You can skip dividing each color in two, and use the same consistency to both outline and fill in your designs.
    Use a spray bottle to add water a tiny bit at a time, until the icing is slightly thinner than piping consistency. You don't need a spray bottle, but it's a much easier way to add tiny bits of water at a time. (Once you add too much water, it's difficult to go back. If you do go too far, add a spoonful of the thick base icing to thicken it.)
    Medium icing is about the consistency of ketchup, ranch dressing, or Elmer's glue. It should not be so thin that it's hard to control. When you draw a line in this icing, it should take about 15 seconds for the mark to disappear.
    Be sure to cover any icing sitting out with plastic wrap while you are working on another bowl; you don't want it to dry out.
  • Add the icing to piping bags. Place piping tip 1 or 2 into a piping bag. Snip the end and press the tip through. I like disposable piping bags (even a ziplock works in a pinch) You can line the bag with plastic wrap if you want to avoid cleaning, but I prefer to just throw them away after! Fold the bag back on itself and place in a tall drinking glass, tip down. Use a spatula or pour the icing to the bag. I like to label each bag with "flood" or "piping" for each color, so that I don't get confused.
    You do not have to use tips at all if you don't want to. I find that it gives you a lot more control for piping intricate designs (faces, lettering, etc.) But you can also just snip the end of the bag. Start with a tiny snip! You can always cut more.
    For flood consistency, you don't really need to use tips because you are just filling in the centers and it doesn't need to be perfect. You kind of want it to come out fast anyway to get the job done.
  • If you are nervous about having the right consistency, test your icing. Add just a little icing to a bag. Test it out on a piece of parchment paper or a plate, and see how it looks. Design something right there on the paper to see if it holds it's shape. Add water to the bowl of icing if it's too thick, add a spoonful of base frosting if it's too thin, and try again.
  • Start decorating. Now the fun begins! I highly recommend finding a picture of a design you would like to copy, especially if you are a beginner.
    Start by outlining your design with piping consistency icing, then switch to a flood consistency to fill in the center. Use toothpicks to smooth the icing into itself, poke any bubbles, and shift the icing around if you make a mistake.
    Unless you are doing a wet-on-wet design (which looks cool and marbly) You will need to wait several hours before layering any icing. For the heart cookies you see in the post, I outlined the heart with piping icing, filled it with flood, then waited overnight. Then I added the lace embellishments. You can leave the icing in the bags at room temperature overnight, be sure to cover the tips with a wet paper towel.
  • Let the icing dry. Let the icing dry at room temperature, spread out in a single layer. I usually keep them on the counter on wire racks or on a baking sheet. Make sure there is plenty of airflow; don't cover them for the first several hours. This is usually a death sentence for sugar cookies, which tend to dry out (and part of why royal icing cookies have a reputation for being cardboard-ish).
    You will end up with more moist cookies if you use cream cheese in the dough, the secret ingredient in my favorite Sugar Cookies. My Gingerbread Man recipe is also very thick and soft; the high level of molasses in the recipe means they can sit out overnight and still be soft.
  • Storage. Once your cookies are completely dry, you can stack them to your hearts content. I like to store them in a tupperware on the counter. If you are shipping them, wrap individual cookies in parchment paper.
  • Freezing. You can freeze cookies with dried royal icing. Add a single layer in a large tupperware, add a sheet of parchment paper, then add another layer of cookies. This will prevent the colors from transferring to the cookie above it. Let thaw overnight in the fridge, or at room temperature. If you thaw at room temperature, I would take them out of the tupperware and spread them out so they are not touching, to avoid any condensation from causing color transfer.

Notes

*You can substitute 7 large egg whites in place of the 5 tablespoons meringue powder. You will not need to add the water to the recipe. You only need drops or sprays of water added at the end, for thinning to the right consistency. Make sure you don't get ANY egg yolk in the icing! 
**Extracts: Do not skip the extracts in this recipe! They add tons of flavor and are your ticket to a flavorful, tasty royal icing (as opposed to a flat, boring result). For sugar cookies, I love to use a combo of vanilla, almond, and coconut (this is the same blend I use in my Sugar Cookies and Buttercream Frosting.)  If I'm decorating a gingerbread house or making Gingerbread Man Cookies, I leave out the almond and coconut and replace it with the same amount of clear vanilla. 
***Storage tip: At this point, you can transfer the base icing to a tupperware, press plastic wrap directly onto the icing, then cover and refrigerate for up to 3 weeks. Let come to room temperature and stir before coloring and thinning out with water as necessary for your project. The thicker you make this base icing, the less it will separate on you in storage. 
Halve the recipe. I think it's handy to make a ton of royal icing, that way you have all that you need for your project and don't have to worry about running out. Plus it keeps a long time, you can even freeze it. But here are the measurements for a half recipe, if you don't need a lot:
  • 2 and 1/2 tablespoons meringue powder
  • pinch salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon cream tartar
  • 1/4 cup water, plus 2-3 tablespoons more
  • 1/2 teaspoon clear vanilla
  • 1/4 teaspoon almond
  • 1/4 teaspoon coconut
  • 1 pound powdered sugar (about 3 and 3/4 cup)
  • 1 and 1/2 teaspoons corn syrup
 
 

Nutrition

Calories: 37kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 0.2g | Potassium: 5mg | Sugar: 9g | Calcium: 0.3mg | Iron: 0.01mg