Royal Icing
Mastering the art of making the perfect royal icing takes time and experience. This smooth, glossy icing can transform ordinary desserts into edible works of art. It’s all about consistency, and finding the perfect flow. If it’s too thick, it can be difficult to pipe and can be a gooey mess. If it’s too thin, it can be spill over and take too long to dry. With the right recipe and plenty of practice, you can create stunning edible art that will impress everyone around you including yourself.
I have been playing around with royal icing for quite some time, and have had everything go wrong along the way. It’s tricky to get your icing just right, but when you do it can really take your desserts to the next level.
My relationship with royal icing started when I was a little girl and we used to pick up a dozen Smiley Face Cookies from Eat n’ Park once a year on our family road trip down through Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania each summer. Eat n’ Park is a family-owned restaurant chain, serving guests across Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia. More than half of the restaurant is a sit down dining experience serving breakfast, lunch and dinner. On the other side, they have a small bakery where they bake the infamous Smiley Face cookies fresh daily in a variety of colors. I could not get enough of the silky, cold icing that topped these beauties. When I got home to Calgary after a summer away I was left with only crumbs of these irresistible goodies, so I decided to try to make my own. The first round was a royal mess, with more icing on the counter top than on the cookies. With careful tweaking and some small adjustments, I was able to find the perfect consistency and to make a near match of these delectable smiles. From that point forward, I’ve been using this royal icing recipe for many of my hand piped desserts and they have taken my cookie game to a whole new level.
Royal Icing
Course: DessertCuisine: IcingDifficulty: Easy5
minutes5 Cups
This royal icing recipe is quick and easy to make and will add decorative detail to your sweets. So roll up your sleeves, grab your piping bags, and start exploring the endless possibilities of royal icing in your culinary adventures.
Ingredients
3 Egg Whites (Room Temperature)
4 1/2 Cups Confectioners’ Sugar
1/2 Tsp. Cream of Tartar
1/4 Tsp. Salt
1/4 Tsp. Vanilla Extract/Lemon Juice (Optional)
Food Color (Optional)
Directions
- In the bowl of an electric mixer with the whisk attachment, beat the Eggs, Confectioners’ Sugar, Cream of Tartar and Salt until combined.
- Add the Vanilla or Lemon juice if desired, and continue beating until stiff peaks form. This should take about 7-8 minutes.
- For tinted icing, divide the icing into small bowls and stir in a few drops of food coloring until desired color is achieved. The mixture should triple in volume.
- To make icing flood consistency just add water as needed.
Notes
- This recipe makes 5 cups of royal icing. To store, cover tightly with plastic wrap and store for up to 6 hours at room temperature until ready to use.
