SUGARBELLE'S ROYAL ICING

Sugarbelle's Royal Icing image

Royal icing is used to decorate cookies with a lot of detail. Here is the recipe from sweetsugarbelle.com

Provided by Jenni K @AnCsMom

Categories Cookies

Number Of Ingredients 4

Ingredients

2 pound(s) (1 bag) powdered sugar
1/3 cup(s) plus 1 tablespoon meringue powder
3/4 cup(s) warm water (approximately)
1-2 tablespoon(s) oil-free extract or flavoring

Steps:

Works best with an automatic mixer. Add the powdered sugar and meringue powder to the mixing bowl. Mix well using the whisk attachment.
Add the flavoring (vanilla and almond work well, but you can use whatever you prefer) into the warm water, then mix into the dry mixture. *it's very important that your flavoring be oil free. Also, if you want pure white icing, stay away from extracts with color.
Mix at medium speed 5-6 minutes. (As it mixes, if any sticks to the sides, simply spritz it with a bottle filled with water until it's incorporated.)
As it thickens up, turn mixer up to high for 3-4 more minutes until it's stiff and fluffy like meringue.
EXTRA NOTES ABOUT THIS RECIPE: -Royal icing and oil are NOT friends. make sure all of your utensils are oil free, including your bowls. wash them well in hot water, and give them a rub with lemon juice or vinegar before using them. -Royal icing keeps for a long time. MANY leave it covered on the counter for up to a month with no problem. Or you can refrigerate it. -If you need to refresh it, you can fluff it up again with the mixer, and it will be like new. -If you are expecting humidity, add a little less meringue powder, and a little cream of tartar. Cream of tartar is a stabilizer and helps when it's humid. It seems to work. -It's also alright to add a little bit of corn syrup to your icing if you want it to be a bit shinier.
To see how to color your icing to prepare it for use, go to the recipe link in the comments "How to: Prepare & Color Royal Icing for Decorating", or go to http://www.sweetsugarbelle.com/blog/2011/03/coloring-and-preparing-royal-icing/