All we want for Christmas is an easy royal icing recipe. And here it is. Just two ingredients—egg whites and sugar. And just two simple steps—mix and frost. For those whom raw egg is a no-no, such as the very young, the very old, the very sick, the very preggers, or the very finicky, be aware that this recipe contains raw eggs and should not be consumed by them.–David Leite
Royal Icing FAQs
Making multiple colors of royal icing couldn’t be easier. Figure out how many colors of icing you want and divvy up your royal icing into that number of small bowls, teacups, mugs, etc.
If using gel colors, use the tip of a toothpick to add a tiny amount of the gel to the icing, stirring it until it’s totally mixed in and you see the resulting color. Slowly add more gel, stirring well between additions, until the color has reached the desired shade. Remember, when coloring icing you can always add more color, but you can’t take it away.
If using liquid food coloring, add the coloring one drop at a time, stirring until it’s totally mixed in and you see the resulting color. Slowly add more coloring, one drop at a time, stirring well between additions, until the color has reached the desired shade. You may need to beat in a little extra confectioners’ sugar if the liquid color begins to thin down your icing.
When you’ve finished, cover the surface of the icing with plastic wrap and chill each bowl as you make it until you have all the colors you need.
It can take a while to get used to icing cookies. Practice makes perfect. Always aim to make a few more than you need and enjoy the odd imperfect cookie along the way. (We’ve noticed that the cookies that are misshapen or the ones with the wiggly lines or colorful splotches taste just as good as the perfect ones.) You can also practice icing on sheets of parchment or wax paper before you commit to decorating your precious handmade cookies. Like a “tracing paper” for cooks, it helps you get a feel for it, and you can get a good idea of the pattern and the shape that you want to make before trying them on your finished cookies. Or perhaps buy a package of smooth cookies, and practice on these until you’re more confident.
Royal Icing
Ingredients
If using fresh egg whites
- 4 large egg whites
- 4 1/4 cups confectioners’ sugar, plus more as needed
- Water, if needed
- Food coloring or food-color gels or flavorings
If using powdered egg whites
- 3/4 cup water, plus more as needed
- 1 ounce egg white powder
- 4 1/4 cups confectioners’ sugar, plus more as needed
- Food coloring or food-color gels or flavorings
Instructions
Make the royal icing recipe
- In the bowl of a fit with the paddle or in a large bowl with a , combine the fresh or powdered egg whites and sugar, starting slowly to avoid clouds of confectioners’ sugar covering you and your kitchen. Continue whisking until the ingredients form a thick, smooth paste that's bright white in color and has the consistency of toothpaste, at least 5 minutes.
- You may need to add a little water to achieve the desired consistency. Making icing is not an exact science. We often end up adding a little more water or confectioners' sugar to get the icing to exactly the right consistency.
- ☞ READ THE ARTICLE: HOW TO DECORATE WITH ROYAL ICING
- Piping icing is smooth and thick, a bit like the texture of toothpaste. This icing is used for adding fine detail and decoration, as on gingerbread cookies, and for piping borders, which form little "walls" around the areas of the cookie that you want to fill with the flooding icing, as on Hanukkah cookies. It has to be just soft enough to squeeze out of the piping bag, but also thick enough to hold its shape perfectly. To make it, you may need to beat just a little extra confectioners' sugar or a few drops of water into your royal icing to achieve the right consistency for piping icing. If you don't need to flood your cookies, just use the royal icing as-is or tint it with food coloring.
- Medium icing shouldn't drip or flow but rather hold its place yet still be easy to blend into the piped icing that you spread it next to.
- Flooding icing is glossy and almost pourable. This icing is squeezed onto cookies to flood areas where a shiny, smooth effect is required. It's well worth investing in a few small squeeze bottles to dispense the icing from; with their screw-on nozzles, they are perfect for directing the flow of flooding icing to exactly where it should be. To make it, gradually add enough water, a few drops at a time, stirring constantly, until you have a smooth, just pourable mixture that has roughly the same consistency, maybe a little thicker, as heavy cream.
- You really need to use royal icing on the day that it's made. If you're not immediately using the icing, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate it for up to a few hours or, if you need, it can be stored in the fridge in piping bags or squeezy bottles. Keep in mind that the icing tends to separate a little and become less easy to handle after standing for more than just a few hours.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe Testers’ Reviews
Wow! This was the easiest icing I think I’ve ever made. I’m not much of a baker, so when I came across this recipe, I thought I would try it as it seemed simple enough for me, and I’m so glad that I did!
Hmmm. I’ve only seen it in cookbooks. If I could find one of them online and find one of those pics, I could either copy it to you or send you a link. 😉
It’s transluscent and thin enough to still see the cake through. It looks gorgeous. The book was published in German, so all European stuff, but I bought the U.S. version put out by Crown? They bought U.S. rights to a lot of foreign cookbooks and repubbed them in English. I want to say it was “The Art of Baking” but I could be way off base.
If I find anything enlightening, I’ll email you guys. Thanks, Beth.
thanks, ruthie.
Got a question for you: is flood icing what I’ve seen used on single layer cakes that makes them look sort of silvery? I’ve seen it in pictures, but the recipe was only for the cake and never said how they got it to look like that. If flood icing is the trick, I’m all over that baby! 😉
Well Ruthie, you have me stumped. I’ve always heard of flood icing as more of a technique to fill in outlined areas. Perhaps you could send us a picture?