Royal Icing–My Do’s & Do Not’s

I get asked a lot what recipe I use for my royal icing.  Well, it’s not a secret.  I use Bridget’s from Bake at 350’s recipe.  At least that’s where I start.  I love it, it works for me. But I do have issues; my Kitchenaid mixer is over 15 years old.  It’s an original professional series that they made for home use and the bowl isn’t completely round at the bottom.  There’s a bump at the bottom and sometimes not all things get incorporated which is bad for royal icing.

So here’s what I do! Just in case there are other’s out there with the “older” mixer in their lives.

Recipe First: all thanks to Bridget!

• 4 tbsp meringue powder
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 lb of icing/powdered sugar
• 2 tsp lemon juice (This is for flavour but the juice will also keep the icing from becoming so hard you break your teeth.  Don’t worry, the icing will stand up to packaging to shipping)
• 2 tsp clear corn syrup

1. In the bowl of your mixer, add the meringue powder and water.  I use Wilton.  I know you either love or hate it, but I’ve never had any issues so that’s what I use.  But feel free to use what ever brand you want.
   
   
2. Take a whisk and completely mix together.  My issue is that the little hump in the middle of my bowl doesn’t allow the mixer whisk to completely mix together.
   
   
3. Then put the bowl on a scale and add 1lb of the powdered sugar.  Whisk again by hand and once incorporated, put onto the mixer with whisk attachment on number two.
   
   
4. Add lemon juice and syrup and whisk for up to 10 minutes.  You can always turn the mixer up but by keeping it on the lower speed, any of the sugar that’s too big will have time to dissolve and you shouldn’t get any clogging issues (Thanks Arty McGoo for that tip!)
   
   
   
   Don’t over whip your icing, it will also ruin your icing.  It will seem fine while piping but will dry looking cratered and grainy.
   
   
5. When the icing can stand up it’s done!
6. It can be stored in an airtight container on the counter for 3-4 days or in the fridge up to two weeks.  It will separate, just stir it up and add a teaspoon of icing/powdered sugar to reactivate before colouring.

Now when it comes to decorating cookies, I tend to use one consistency for outlining and filling and then another for detailing.  I can’t tell you if it’s 10 second icing or 20 second icing.  I just know that as I add water one drop at a time to thin down the icing to fill a cookie and then the icing comes off my spoon in a ribbon and soon loses all it’s shape, then it’s done.  For piping, I just use the stuff right out of the bowl.  With colour it loosens up a bit but not too much.  Just experiment and see what works for you.

It’s not much, but that’s it!!!  Royal Icing doesn’t have to be daunting.  Your first batch may not be perfect  but then neither was mine!  Mum was right, practice makes perfect!

Thanks for looking!