Royal Icing
This simple 2 ingredient recipe for royal icing is a great way to make it at home for beautifully decorated cakes and cookies. This recipe makes about 1-1/2 cups (410g).
Ingredients
- 2-1/2 cups (375g) icing sugar +1 Tbsp, if the consistency is thin
- 2 large egg whites
Instructions
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In a medium sized mixing bowl (or the bowl of an electric mixer), beat the egg whites until frothy.
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Add the icing sugar and mix on low speed until combined. The icing consistency at this stage should be very thick and heavy, but wet looking.
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Continue to beat the icing on low speed until it loses its sheen and has a dull, matte finish (about 10 minutes). Cover immediately with a lid or a damp tea towel to prevent from drying out.
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Royal icing should be used immediately after it is made. If you want to re-use royal icing from another day, you can revive it by re-beating it for another 5-10 minutes (until it again reaches the dull, matte finish it had before).
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Store unused icing in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Recipe Notes
To thin royal icing for cookie decorating:
For 1/2 batch (205g of royal icing)
Add 2-1/2 tsp water, and stir until well combined. Pipe into the centre of cookies with a stiff royal icing border around the edge. Allow to dry at least 24 hours before decorating further.
To make sure it's not too thick or too thin:
Scoop a bit of icing out of the bowl with a spoon, and then drop it back in. If the icing you dropped back in sinks in and blends smoothly with the rest of the icing in 10 seconds, it is perfect. If the icing is smooth in less than 10 seconds, it is too thin and will run over the edge of your cookies. If it takes longer than 10 seconds (or never blends in completely at all), add water by the drop, mixing well and re-testing, until it dissolves in 10 seconds (icing that is too thick will not dry smoothly).
Further Notes:
The most accurate way to get the right consistency, if you aren't sure what you're looking for, is to use a kitchen scale.
*The number of cookies you can frost from this recipe is approximate, depending on the size of your cookie cutters. This recipe makes approximately 410g of royal icing.