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4.56 from 9 votes

Royal Icing Recipe

This royal icing is made using 3 ingredients. It's thick enough to outline and to flood the cookie design. Add food coloring to make different colors.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time0 minutes
Total Time10 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 4 cups
Calories: 548kcal
Author: Eden

Ingredients

  • 4 1/2 cups confectioners sugar also known as powdered sugar
  • 3 tbsp meringue powder
  • 13 tbsp warm water more or less

Instructions

  • Using an electric mixer, place the powdered sugar and meringue powder in the bowl.
  • Add one tablespoon warm water at a time, whisking until the consistency is smooth.
  • The goal of this frosting is to get a consistency that won’t spread when creating an outline, but blends perfectly for filling in the center of the cookie… sounds easy right? If it’s too thick add a little more water (like 1 teaspoon at a time and if it’s too thin add more powdered sugar.
  • Once the icing is mixed, divide it into bowls and add your desired food coloring. Stir well.
  • Then add the royal icing into the prepared piping bag. The frosting dries quickly, so do not leave it out uncovered. Place it in the piping bag as soon as you can.

Notes

When making royal icing, you'll need to adjust the amount of warm water you add to the recipe until you get the consistency of Elmer's glue. That is the ultimate goal. I have made this recipe where 10 tbsp of water work and then I've made it where it needed 15 tbsp water. The reason for this can be a different brand of powdered sugar or meringue powder, different water temperatures, mixing speed, or even the location or temperature in your own home. 
So, the ultimate goal for this recipe is to get a glue consistency. Once you make it a few times, you'll know the exact consistency. 

Nutrition

Calories: 548kcal | Carbohydrates: 141g | Sodium: 5mg | Potassium: 3mg | Sugar: 138g | Calcium: 3mg | Iron: 1mg