ROYAL ICING

By LindaW1955

Flooding consistency - icing runs off beaters and melts back into bowl of icing
Piping consistency ~ consistency of honey

Ingredients

• 4 cups (950 mL) confectioners' (powdered or icing) sugar
• 3 tablespoons (15 mL) meringue powder
• 1/2 teaspoon (2.5 mL) extract (vanilla, lemon, almond)
• 1/2 - 3/4 cup (120 - 180 mL) warm water

Preparation

Step 1

1. In a stand- or electric mixer, beat the sugar and meringue powder on low until fully combined.
2. Add warm water and beat on medium or high until icing becomes glossy and peaks begin to form. This whole process takes anywhere from 5 to 7 minutes.[3]
3. Adjust with more powdered sugar or water as needed. When using royal icing as the glue with which to bind a gingerbread house, for example, you probably want stiffer peaks. In this case, add more sugar. When flooding a cookie, for example, you probably want a runnier icing. In this case, add more water.
Icing is ready to be used in flooding a cookie when the icing runs off the surface of the beater tong when it's lifted from the mixer.
4. Use royal icing immediately or transfer to an airtight container. Royal icing hardens quickly if not properly stored.