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- 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 how to make royal icing page offers tips, tricks and advice on how to make royal icing for your gingerbread house or other holiday treats.
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Making Royal Icing
This video gives a step by step description of how to make royal icing. The quantities used are slightly different from the recipe listed here, so will yield a different amount of icing. It is mentioned in the video that raw egg whites can be a concern that that some use meringue powder instead.
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Recipe and Equipment needed
Royal Icing can be used to ice cookies, for decoration, or as the glue that holds items together such as a gingerbread house. This recipe makes 2 1/2 cups of icing.
Ingredients
- 3 egg whites
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon of lemon juice
- 4 cups of confectioner's sugar
- Food coloring (optional)
Equipment
- 1 mixer
- 1 pastry bag
- Pastry bag tips
- In a mixing bowl combine 3 egg whites and 1 teaspoon of vanilla until frothy.
- Gradually add 4 cups of confectioner's sugar and lemon juice to the mix until incorporated.
- Beat the mixture until it forms stiff, glossy peaks. Approximately 5 to 7 minutes on high speed.
- Add food coloring if desired.
- Transfer to a pastry bag (use standard tips to decorate cookies or other items.
Be aware that according to the the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) raw or undercooked egg whites and yolks have been associated with outbreaks of Salmonella enteritidis infections. The CDC recommends raw or undercooked eggs, (white or yolk) should be consumed promptly and not be held in the temperature range of 40 to 140 for more than 2 hours. http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dbmd/diseaseinfo/salment_g.htm#What%20You%20Can%20Do%20to%20Reduce%20Risk You may prefer to try the alternative recipe listed below.
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Alternate Royal Icing Recipe with Meringue Powder
- An alternative to using raw egg whites it to use meringue powder, which is essentially dried egg with sugar and gum added. This recipe will yield approximately 3 cups of royal icing.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons of meringue powder
- 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon of lemon juice
- 4 cups of confectioners' sugar
- 1/2 cup of warm water
Equipment
- Mixer
- Pastry bag or plastic bag
- In mixing bowl, whip together the sugar and meringue powder.
- Add the vanilla extract and lemon juice.
- Add the water. Beat for approximately 5 minutes or until stiff peaks begin to form.
- Transfer to pastry bag.
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