Royal Icing from Gitti Alman

By Carynz

Ingredients

• 1 lb. confectioner's sugar(approx. 4 cups)
• 5 Tbs meringue powder or 2 large egg whites
• a scant 1/2 cup of water(only if using meringue powder)
• liquid gel or gel paste food coloring

Preparation

Step 1

In the bowl of an electric mixer,combine all of the ingredients on a low speed
Mix until fluffy,yet dense,7-8 min.
Use icing immediately or transfer to an airtight container,as royal icing hardens quickly when exposed to air.
stir well with a spatula before using

Hint.
To thin royal icing,stir in additional water,1 tsp at a time.
icing can be made in advance and then kept in the fridge for several days in an airtight container. To prepare the airtight container,cover it's surface with plastic wrap,stretch a damp paper towel over the plastic wrap and cover with a lid. Chill until you need it. Before using the icing,make sure to stir well.

PIPING THE ROYAL ICING
attach a tip to a 12" pastry bag fitted with a coupler and cuff the top of the pastry bag
set a damp paper towel on the bottom of a glass
place the empty pastry bag upright into the glass(tip touching paper towel)
spoon the icing into the bag until halfway full,cinch the top to the pastry bag with a rubber band.
Store unused icing at room temp if made with meringue powder. Refrigerate if made with egg whites;when ready to decorate,use a #2 tip(for fine writing)to pipe your design.

COLOR FLOW TECHNIQUE
outline half of the cookie using a #2 writing tip
rotate the cookie 180 and outline the other half.
let the icing set for 5-10 min
using a #5 tip,draw several lines across the entire surface of the cookie being careful to stay within the outline
spread the lines evenly over the cookie,using an offset spatula.
allow to dry for at least one hr or longer before piping designs.
To color the icing,squeeze out a tiny amount of coloring,directly into the icing,and gradually mix until desired shade is reached.
To prevent clogged tips,set the pastry bag upright in a glass lined with damp paper towels or insert a toothpick into the tip when not using.
Store dried cookies in an airtight container between layers of waxed or parch paper.
RIBBON COOKIES
for threading ribbon through cookies,before baking,poke desired holes into the dough with a plastic straw or a round pastry tip (such as a #7 or #8)

DECORATING IDEAS
cookies can be attached as a tag on a gift wrapped package
cookies can be attached to napkin rings for a themed party

FONDANT COVERED COOKIES
fondant must be kneaded in order to get pliable enough to work with
always keep unused fondant covered to keep it from drying out
using a rolling pin,roll out the fondant on a non-stick mat(use confectioner's sugar to keep it from sticking to the rolling pin and mat)
Do not roll out on a marble surface,as marble is cold and it will cause the fondant to become firm
when rolling out the fondant.,make sure to leave a thick edge in order to be able to easily lift it
never flip over the fondant,always roll on only one side
always work on a very clean surface,as fondant attracts cotton,hairs,fibers,etc
to adhere the fondant to the cookie,use a thin coating of corn syrup or heated jam
never use water between the fondant layer and cookie,as this causes fermentation
after the cookie is covered with fondant,royal icing can be piped onto the cookie,
allow the royal icing to dry fully.

PLACE CARD COOKIES
For standing cookies upright,bake triangle shaped cookies and using royal icing attach them on an angle to the back of a decorated cookie,similar to a stand on a table-top picture frame

LINZER TARTS
chill dough for one hr or until easy to handle
On a lightly floured surface,roll dough to approx. 1/8"-1/4" thickness
Using a larger sized cutter,cut out the dough
with a wide spatula,transfer cut out shapes onto a silpat liner or greased sturdy baking sheet
Using a smaller cutter,cut out the centers of half of the unbaked cookies.
remove the dough from the centers and re-roll for the next batch
Bake until edges are firm and bottoms are browned
remove cookies with a spatula and cool completely on a rack
To assemble;
Sift confectioners sugar over the tops of the cookies with cutouts in centers and set aside
spread jam onto the bottom of each cookie without the cutouts;
set a cutout cookie with the confectioners sugar side up over the jam to make a sandwich.

STAINED GLASS COOKIES
Do three cut outs on a cookie
Place three different color jams on the whole cookie and place the cut outs of the other cookie directly over the jam