the perfect consistency, bite, and flavor
I'll preface this blog by saying this is my first time experimenting with Royal Icing. But these fun Valentine's Day precut sugar cookies were begging for a little pizzazz! This recipe was very easy to work with and made these cookies extra fun for my son and I.
We just used the regular Pillsbury cutout sugar cookies. We baked the cookies according to the package directions. It saved us a bit of time and made it easy to focus just on the decorating aspect. My 5 year old tends to get bored with long, drawn out baking or cooking, so this was perfect for him. This particular box did have a frosting recipe on the back, but I had a perfect excuse to play with a new recipe.
I will say the cookies had a bit of an uneven surface before they were even baked (possibly from transport or storage). This made it difficult to get an even layer of royal icing. The slopes of the cookie caused the icing to run and leak everywhere... but it was still delicious, just the same. To ensure an even surface and a better chance at creating the design(s) you're looking for, I would recommend making your own cookies and rolling them out. This just happened to be easier for us. I also didn't plan ahead well enough; I seriously underestimated how quickly this icing would begin to harden. I intended to do a white background with pink and red lines, and then streak it back and forth with a toothpick. Well, by the time I got all of the cookies covered in white and went back to add the color it was too late. So this is what we got. 😄
I would recommend that you either work in small batches or one cookie at a time. I also made the mistake of reusing the same bag for each color without changing the icing tip being used. If working with multiple colors (for fills and details) I would recommend having a piping bag ready for each color being used, preset with the correct tip sizes. Use a wider tip for fills and more narrow tips for details. (Think Wilton 1 versus Wilton 3.) We made the best of what we had to work with and added some white pearls for fun!
I hope you enjoy this easy royal icing recipe and have fun getting creative with your cookies! Don't be afraid to "mess up," just have fun and let it flow. 😉
Easy Royal Icing Recipe:
4 cups confectioner's sugar, sifted
3 Tablespoons meringue powder (I used the Wilton brand)
9-10 Tablespoons room temperature water
Gel food coloring optional
Pour the powdered sugar, meringue powder, and water into a standing mixer.
Beat with a whisk attachment on high speed for about 2 minutes.
When lifting the whisk off the icing, it should drizzle and smooth out within 10 seconds.
If your icing is too thick, add 1 tablespoon of water at a time until you reach your desired consistency. If it is too thin, begin by continuing to beat and see if adding in more air will thicken it up a bit. If not, you may need a little more confectioners sugar, one tablespoon at a time.
If adding gel food coloring, separate your icing into containers or bowls and add a few drops at a time until you reach your desired color. Place into separate piping bags and begin to decorate!
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