• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Recipes
  • Tutorials
  • Online Shop
  • About Us
  • Contact Us

Sugar Geek Show logo

menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipes
  • Tutorials
  • Online Shop
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Recipes
  • Tutorials
  • Online Shop
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
×
Home › Recipe

Updated: Apr 9, 2024 · Published: Jan 15, 2017 by Elizabeth Marek · This post may contain affiliate links · 8 Comments

Cookie Royal Icing Recipe

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

Royal Icing

This simple royal icing recipe is fast, colorful, tastes great and sets perfectly! You can make a simple cookie look super professional with this royal icing recipe.

Think back to when you use to make cookies over the holidays. What was your favorite part? Besides eating them, mine was definitely decorating them! We would normally get the white canned frosting and my mom would die some in a few different bowls to give us color options. Then the messy awesomeness of the decorating would commence. My brother and I would come up with some crazy looking snowmen, that’s for sure. Now I prefer this royal icing as my decorating tool. It is so elegant looking and smooth.

Is it safe to eat royal icing?

When it comes to eating frosting, there are a couple of tips that you should know about. Using raw egg whites in royal frosting is fairly common. When you make royal icing you should use pasteurized eggs. According to research, the salmonella is primarily found in the yolk of the egg, but it is possible that it can be in the whites too. You also have to keep royal icing, that is made with raw egg, in the fridge.

As kids, we would commonly fight over who got to lick the spoon when my mom would make any kind of yummy dessert. In the many years I did that, I never got sick from the raw egg. I am not making light of food poisoning, I have seen some go through it an it looks like hell. So to be safe. This is why I use meringue powder in my royal icing recipe. No chance of salmonella.

What can I use instead of cream of tartar in royal icing?

If you do not have cream of tartar on hand but do have a lemon, you can use equal parts lemon juice or even vinegar. Using these will not affect the taste of your royal icing, as a matter of fact, these can actually enhance the flavor. You can also use corn starch in place of cream of tartar, which I have heard has been done and you can get away with it just fine.

How long does it take for royal icing to dry?

If you're applying the royal icing in a thin layer it can dry fairly quickly. I give myself a 15 minute widow to decorate a half batch. that is if I am doing          If I want a layered look. Such as raised dots or lines, I let the cookies set for a few hours, or even over night. It can take 4 to 6 hours for the frosting to dry and set completely.  A thick layer can take a few days to dry completely.

How should royal icing be stored?

I take all un-used royal icing and store it in the refrigerator. I make sure to put plastic wrap directly on the surface of the royal icing so it doesn't create a crusted layer on top. Then I cover it tightly with more plastic wrap or a lid. When you're ready to use the royal icing take it out of the refrigerator and return the royal icing to room temperature before mixing. Once mixed, let it set for a little while so any air bubble have a chance to escape.

Can you freeze cookies with royal icing on them?

Iced cookies can be frozen in layers. With royal frosting you want the cookies to set and dry completely before storing in the freezer. You can even put wax or parchment paper in between the layers, just to be safe. You'll want to put them in a container that has as little air as possible to avoid freezer burn. You also don't want to freeze them for long since the cookies can absorb that "freezer taste" and no one likes that.

What is the difference between icing and frosting?

Frosting is normally used to coat the outside of a cake or go on top of brownies. It is more buttery to the taste and softer to the touch, fluffier and thick. It hardens, yes, but not as much as royal icing. It can be harder to stack a set of cookies that are frosted instead of iced.

 

Cake Batter and Frosting Calculator

Select an option below to calculate how much batter or frosting you need. Adjust the servings slider on the recipe card to change the amounts the recipe makes.

Choose a pan type

Choose a cake pan size
(based on 2" tall cake pan)

Choose a cake pan size
(based on 2" tall cake pan)

Choose a cake pan size
(based on 2" tall cake pan)

Cupcake Tin Size

Choose number of pans

Cups of Batter Needed

8 cups

Cups of Frosting Needed

5 cups

Note: measurements are estimated based off the vanilla cake recipe using standard US cake pans and sizes. Measurements used are for 2" tall cake pans only. Your results may vary. Do not overfill cake pans above manufacturer's recommended guidelines.

Recipe

Cookie Royal Icing Recipe

Royal Icing for Cookie Decorating

Susan Trianos brings up her secret recipe for decorating high-end sugar cookies. This royal icing can be thinned and used for flooding cookies with icing after creating dams from the normal royal icing. Use the regular and thinned icing recipes together to create perfect dots with no peaks, floods of color, stripes and more!  
Print Recipe Rate Recipe
Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 3 cups
Calories: 588kcal
Author: Elizabeth Marek

Ingredients

Ingredients

  • 16 oz Powdered sugar 1 lb is about 4 cups
  • 5 tablespoon Water
  • 3 tablespoon Meringue powder
  • Some extra water In case mix is too stiff
  • ⅛ teaspoon cream of tartar
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Standard Royal Icing

  • Make sure all mixing cups, mixing bowl and attachments are grease and fat-free. Any added fats from residue on mixing cups or bowl will ruin the royal icing.
  • Add all ingredients into stand mixer with paddle attachment and mix on low. If icing mixture is too stiff, mixer will struggle and bog down to mix ingredients. Add small amount of water until mixer doesn't struggle to mix ingredients.
  • Bump up speed to 2 and whip for 7-10 minutes until icing becomes fluffy, increases in volume, is a bright white color with stiff peaks.

Thinned Royal Icing

  • After following above instructions, take a portion of icing and put in a separate bowl.
  • Slowly add water (about 1 tablespoon at a time) and mix with spoon until fully incorporated. Pull mixing spoon up and drizzle icing over itself in bowl until it takes 10-12 seconds for drizzle to flatten back into icing completely.
  • Once you can count 10-12 seconds for drizzled icing to flatten back into icing in bowl, you now have thinned icing, ready to use for flooding sugar cookies with icing. 

Nutrition

Calories: 588kcal | Carbohydrates: 150g | Sodium: 4mg | Sugar: 147g | Iron: 0.1mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

More Recipe

  • close up of sausage gravy on biscuits
    Keto Sausage Gravy
  • close up of keto biscuits on a plate
    Fluffy Keto Biscuits
  • gold drip on a white cake
    Drip Cake Recipe
  • sliced focaccia on a wooden board
    Easy Sourdough Focaccia Recipe

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Linda Peterson says

    May 02, 2019 at 2:36 pm

    I've read icing mixing instructions that say to use a whisk attachment and others say use a paddle attachment. Some people say mixing at high speed incorporates too much air into the mixture. I'm confused as to why people give such differing instructions. I have had issues with air bubbles in the past, so I want to reduce them.

    I am semi-pro and want to get to a point of consistency. Right now I am planning to try different icing recipes, because I keep having problems with icing twisting as it extruded from narrow tips. The softer recipe I have been using has 2T light corn syrup in the ingredients. I like the taste, but not the trouble I have decorating fine details.

    Reply
    • The Sugar Geek Show says

      May 04, 2019 at 6:27 pm

      If your icing is not coming out of the tip straight it could be the quality of your tip. A lot of people really like ATECO piping tips. Icing is very personal. This is the recipe that I like but I'm no cookie professional. You can use the paddle if you prefer.

      Reply
  2. Hollie says

    May 16, 2019 at 8:26 am

    Can I add flavoring to this icing?

    Reply
    • The Sugar Geek Show says

      May 16, 2019 at 9:23 pm

      Yes you can

      Reply
  3. Robin says

    August 04, 2019 at 12:58 pm

    I’m going to make watermelon cookies. Is it better to add the flavor to the cookie dough or the royal icing?

    Reply
    • The Sugar Geek Show says

      August 04, 2019 at 7:31 pm

      I would add it to the icing, it will retain more of it's flavor

      Reply
  4. Shanique says

    March 11, 2021 at 5:36 am

    In step 3 it says to whip. Is it safe to assume I will be switching from the paddle attachment to the whisk attachment and then whip for 7-10 minutes? Or is the entire mixture made using the paddle attachment?

    Reply
    • Elizabeth Marek says

      March 11, 2021 at 9:01 am

      Yes you switch to the whip

      Reply
4.90 from 19 votes (19 ratings without comment)

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




All comments are subject to our Terms of Use

Primary Sidebar

Liz Marek with strawberry cake

Hi, I'm Liz! I'm an artist and cake decorator from Portland, Oregon. Cakes are my obession, which is why I'm dedicated to crafting tried-and-true recipes, small cake tutorials, as well as advanced online cake courses!

More about me →

Buy Flawless Fondant

Sugar Geek Flawless Fondant
It's incredibly stretchy, stays soft on the cake and can be rolled 50% thinner than other brands without tearing or becoming transparent. No elephant skin, no frustration, just flawless fondant every time. Buy Fondant

Our Cake Greatest Hits

Check our our best cake recipes

Summer Recipes

  • closeup of vanilla cake with vanilla buttercream slice on a white plate
    Moist Vanilla Cake Using Cake Flour
    Cook Time45 Minutes
  • slice of pink velvet cake with whipped cream frosting and fresh raspberries on a white plate
    Pink Velvet Cake
    Cook Time40 Minutes
  • slice of fresh strawberry cake on a white plate with strawberries behind it
    Fresh Strawberry Cake
    Cook Time1 Hours 10 Minutes
  • close up shot of double chocolate chip cookie
    Chewy Double Chocolate Chip Cookies
    Cook Time20 Minutes
  • Fast Bread Recipe
    Cook Time1 Hours
  • sourdough bread cut open to show crumb
    Beginners Sourdough Bread Recipe Step-By-Step
    Cook Time25 Hours 10 Minutes

Popular Recipes

  • ganache cake with dark, milk, and white chocolate on it
    The Best Chocolate Ganache Recipe
    Cook Time20 Minutes
  • close up of easy buttercream rosettes
    Easy Buttercream Frosting
    Cook Time10 Minutes
  • close up slice of marble cake
    Moist and Fluffy Marble Cake Recipe
    Cook Time40 Minutes
  • close up of red velvet cake slice
    Red Velvet Cake Recipe
    Cook Time1 Hours 40 Minutes

Footer

↑ back to top

About

  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Service
  • Fondant

Newsletter

  • Sign Up! for emails and updates

Contact

  • Contact
  • About Us
  • About Liz Marek

Copyright © 2024 Sugar Geek Show, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Rate This Recipe

Your vote:




A rating is required
A name is required
An email is required

Recipe Ratings without Comment

Something went wrong. Please try again.