• Royal Icing is quite literally the glue that holds many a Christmas creation together. A fast-drying icing made of egg whites and powdered sugar, royal icing is most commonly used for decorating sugar cookies and as the mortar in gingerbread houses.

• This recipe will yield approximately 2 1/2 cups of royal icing.

How to Make Royal Icing With Egg Whites

1. In the bowl of a mixer, combine 3 egg whites and 1 teaspoon of vanilla until frothy.
2. Gradually add 4 cups of confectioner's sugar and lemon juice to the mix until incorporated.
3. Beat the mixture until it forms stiff, glossy peaks. Approximately 5 to 7 minutes on high speed.
4. Add food coloring if desired.
5. Transfer to a pastry bag, filling to 1/3 full. Use standard tips #2 or #3, and decorate!
   • Thick icing is good for creating a pipe or outline to be filled in with thinner icing.
   • Thin icing is good for filling in an outlined shape or laying a base coat over the entire cookie. Icing can be thinned by adding water.

• Using uncooked, unpasteurized eggs is considered unsafe by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. As an alternative, you can make royal icing with meringue powder, which is essentially dried egg with sugar and gum added.

This recipe will yield approximately 3 cups of royal icing.

How to Make Royal Icing With Meringue Powder

1. In the bowl of the mixer, whip together the sugar and meringue powder.
2. Add the vanilla extract and lemon juice.
3. Add the water. Beat for approximately 5 minutes or until stiff peaks begin to form.
4. Transfer to pastry bag.