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Kisses + Caffeine

Sharing my journey as a mother, wife, homemaker, Jesus girl, entrepreneur and all things in between!

Entertaining, Recipes

The Royal Icing Recipe You’ve Been Searching For

March 23, 2019      18 Comments

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This post may contain affiliate links, but all opinions are my own! Read my full disclaimer here !

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**A couple of updates! Since writing this post, I have pretty much become a professional cookier! I make dozens a week, and this recipe still holds up perfectly! My customers love it and I love working with it! (Check out more cookies I have done HERE!)

Also- When I was just a rookie learning the ropes, I used reusable bags with tips. Thrifty? Sure! But my gosh the time that I wasted washing those stupid bags out! And I felt like I had a hard time getting the precision that I wanted. I have since switched to THESE Bags and you guys, GAME CHANGER! I waste zero time washing things, and they are so cheap that I don’t feel bad going through them! Once I adjusted to doing most of my work with tipless bags, I actually like it so much better. I still use my tips for details such as florals (this Is a great set to get you going!)

Okay…On to the post! 

Royal icing can be a super tricky thing. You have to get the recipe just right or else it comes out lumpy, cracks, or dries weird. When I decided to make “fancy cookies,” as we call them, for Addilyn’s First Birthday, I knew that I needed to try a few and create something that was just right! I started by testing out cookie recipes until I found the perfect one that made them firm enough to decorate but still chewy and delicious. Grab that recipe here.

Then it was on to the royal icing, which was honestly the one I was more nervous about. A few of my trials left me with icing that tasted good, but didn’t hold up or harden. Other attempts left me with a layer of stone (kidding) on my cookies that could chip a tooth. I took bits and pieces of all of these and combined them until I found one that was just right!

First off, I learned that it actually is best to use the paddle attachment on your mixer versus the whisk. I never would have thought to do it this way, but it supposedly helps keep the icing from separating if you don’t use it right away. Knowing that I would be decorating these in stages, that sounded like a good thing to me! So that’s what I did.

First, I rounded up my ingredients. You will need a 2lb bag of powdered sugar, vanilla extract (or you can add almond extract!), warm water and meringue powder. I like the Wilton Brand the best!

Next you will add your bag of sugar to your mixer bowl and then add the meringue powder to that. Mix on low until it is well combined. While that is stirring, I like to take about half of my warm water (maybe 1/2 cup total) and go ahead and add the extract to that. For this batch, I wanted it to be sweet! So I put 3 teaspoons of vanilla extract.

From here, you will want to slowly add your water mixture to the dry ingredients with the mixer on low-medium. Make sure you scrape the sides a bit so that there isn’t a lot of powder left. Your mixture should start to take on a thick, sticky appearance almost like honey. If it’s still not quite that texture, you can add up to another 1/4 of water. I wanted my icing a bit on the thick side (more on that below) so I didn’t add the full 3/4 cup. I totally forgot to take a picture of this step for you guys….fail! SO sorry! 

Anyways, once you have that honey-like goop, turn that puppy up to medium-high and whip it for 2-3 minutes. It should look about like this when you are done.

From here, you can either use it right away or store it in an airtight container right on your counter top!  I will add some further icing steps below, but here is the recipe for those of you who are just ready for me to get to the point!

(Check out more of my viral recipes and decorated cookies/cakes here!)

The Perfect Royal Icing

  • Time: 10 mins
  • Difficulty: easy
  • Print

Ingredients:

  • 2lb bag of powdered sugar
  • 5.5 Tablespoons Meringue Powder
  • 3 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2-3/4 cup warm water

Directions:

  1. Add your sugar and meringue powder to your mixer and combine on low using the paddle attachment.
  2. While the sugar is mixing, add your extract to 1/2 cup of warm water.
  3. With the mixer on Low-Medium, gradually add your water, scraping the sides. You want the mixture to reach a honey-like consistency, and can add up to another 1/4 warm water to get it there. Make sure you don’t get it too runny!
  4. Once your icing is goopy and honey-like, turn the mixer up to medium-high and whip it for 2-3 minutes!
  5. Use immediately or store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

Okay now that I gave you what you came here for, here are a few other things I learned along the way! 

First off, I tried to make thinner icing initially as my “base” icing. What I found was that when I added sugar to thicken it for details, it got crusty and lumpy. I was not a fan of that approach! So what I discovered from a few wise cookiers that I know was that it’s better to make your icing a little more on the thick side and then just add water to smaller batches to thin it for flooding your cookies

I also learned to do a “knife test” for the icing that I wanted to flood with. That means to thin down your icing and add any coloring that you want (gel coloring is best), and then run a butter knife through it. Once you run your knife through, count how many seconds it takes for your icing to come back together and make that line disappear. I found that the best flood consistency icing had about a 10-12 second delay. 

You will want to allow an hour or two of dry time when doing sections that touch each other. For the banners below, I did the outer two sections and then once they were mostly dry, I went back and did the middle section. If you are going to use a stencil or anything that applies pressure, its best to let them dry overnight between layers. The plaques, for example, I went back and added detail to the next day. 

If you want your icing to have a shiny surface (and not take 10 years to dry) its great to put them in front of a fan when you finish flooding them. I just use a couple of small tabletop fans like this one.

Here is an incredibly satisfying video (I could seriously watch it on repeat!) of the flood process! As you can see me do in the video, be sure to work quickly to get any dents and bubbles out! I just use a toothpick to work them out. If you don’t do this before your icing starts to crust over, it will make a mess. So be sure and work quickly!

Here are my finished cookies! They tasted and held up great! I just ate one a week after the party and it still tasted every bit as delicious as the day I made them! 

Check out my other viral icing recipes!! 

Bakery Style Peanut Butter Buttercream
Bakery Style Chocolate Buttercream recipe
Switch up your boring meal plan
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Comments

  1. Makenna Coleman says

    October 15, 2019 at 4:01 pm

    Hi what tool do you use to pipe the icing onto the cookies?! Any recommendations for good ones?

    Reply
    • kissesandcaffeine says

      October 17, 2019 at 2:43 pm

      I just recently switched to these and they are fantastic! And a huge time saver!
      https://amzn.to/2P2DRSG

      Reply
    • Amanda says

      March 22, 2020 at 12:19 pm

      My icing is the consistency of marshmallows? I have added quite a bit of water to it trying to thin it out but it’s staying the same? I followed the recipe, any idea what may have went wrong?

      Reply
      • kissesandcaffeine says

        March 22, 2020 at 3:14 pm

        Sometimes overmixing the icing can cause that. Try less mix time and add a little more water, gradually!

        Reply
  2. Sally T says

    December 7, 2019 at 11:08 am

    I can’t wait to try your recipes, especially the royal icing. My granddaughter are coming today to make cookies. Your recipe was exactly what I was looking for!!! Thank you thank you!!!!

    Reply
  3. Sally T says

    December 7, 2019 at 11:11 am

    I forgot to say granddaughters..how far ahead can you make royal icing so it stay fresh?

    Reply
    • kissesandcaffeine says

      December 9, 2019 at 7:32 am

      It will keep for about 1.5- weeks!

      Reply
  4. Bre says

    December 16, 2019 at 8:48 pm

    Do you outline with the same consistency you flood with in the same bag?

    Reply
    • kissesandcaffeine says

      January 7, 2020 at 7:31 am

      usually, yes! Because I like my outline and flood to be seamless. If you want a visible outline, go a bit thicker!

      Reply
  5. Sue L. says

    December 22, 2019 at 2:27 pm

    Thank you for sharing your recipe! What size tip do you use to pipe the icing?

    Reply
    • kissesandcaffeine says

      January 7, 2020 at 7:31 am

      I actually use these bags! I have gone for the most part, tipless, and I love it! It takes some getting used to but cleanup is way easier!
      https://amzn.to/2tDTTd6

      Reply
  6. Fatema says

    May 9, 2020 at 6:29 pm

    Please if I don’t have meringue powder can I use egg white . And how much will I use

    Reply
  7. Joneymi says

    August 4, 2020 at 8:13 am

    Hi, thank you so much for sharing your recipe. I was wondering if this icing still has a soft bite despite not having any corn syrup?

    Reply
  8. Nichole says

    August 11, 2020 at 8:55 pm

    I made both the cookies and the icing and everything was perfect! My icing wasn’t as shiny as yours- I may have over whipped it. Or maybe it wasn’t as the right consistency when I switched speed. My question is- have you ever flavored the cookies? Like with lemon? Thanks!

    Reply
  9. Debby says

    January 11, 2021 at 5:00 pm

    Hi.. I have seen some royal icing recipes that include white Karo corn syrup and it gives a great shine, which is what I am looking for..what is your opinion on that..?.

    Reply
    • kissesandcaffeine says

      May 3, 2021 at 2:43 pm

      Using a fan on your icing will actually help with the shine. Adding a TBSP of corn syrup will soften the bite a bit though! I have done it before!

      Reply
  10. Cassidy says

    May 25, 2022 at 11:35 pm

    Hello! If I were to make this icing using other liquids (like lemon juice or strong tea) instead of the water or as part of the water how would this affect the freshness of the icing food-safety-wise? I am particularly interested in lemon juice (would fresh Vs lemon juice in a bottle make a difference in terms of the safety?). I assume there is enough sugar the lemon juice would be fine but I am curious to know! Thanks!

    Reply
    • kissesandcaffeine says

      June 7, 2022 at 7:02 am

      I think it would be fine! just store it in the fridge to be safe! Or you could make it as the recipe says and add a little lemon flavor/extract?

      Reply

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