cookie decorating

Here is my classic easy royal icing made with meringue powder. It's easy to work with, sets quickly, and won't break your teeth when it dries. It has the most delicious taste and texture and makes decorating sugar cookies fun and simple. Use this traditional royal icing recipe for both flooding and outlining your <a href="https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/best-sugar-cookies/" rel="false noopener">sugar cookies</a>!

My Favorite Royal Icing

(480 grams) confectioners’ sugar, sifted

Tablespoons meringue powder

9-10 Tablespoons room temperature water

for decorating: gel food coloring (I love this food coloring kit)

Watch the video of the icing above so you get an idea of what the final consistency should be.

In a large bowl using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat all of the icing ingredients together on high speed for 1.5 &#8211; 2 minutes. When lifting the whisk up off the icing, the icing should drizzle down and smooth out within 5-10 seconds. If it&#8217;s too thick, add a little more water. (On particularly dry days, I use up to 12-14 Tablespoons water total.) If it&#8217;s too thin, add a little more sifted confectioners&#8217; sugar.

Icing completely dries in about 2 hours at room temperature. If you&#8217;re layering royal icing onto cookies for specific designs and need it to set quickly, place cookies in the refrigerator to help speed it up. See blog post above for freezing instructions.

I baked these cookies for Easter and they are soft and had a really nice vanilla flavour. I highly recommend these!

I am over 70 and it took me 55 years to find 
The perfect roll out sugar cookie! Best recipe ever!!!!!!!!!   Easy.  Tasty and  recipe works!!
Thank you

I made the cookies as suggested with the almond extract and they taste amazing!

I had other royal icing recipes fail on me.  Sally's recipe is reliable and tastes great.  Her video is helpful.  Highly recommend!

I did not like the taste of this icing at all. There is no flavoring. Did you forget too at the vanilla or almond flavoring?  It tasted like pure powdered sugar. Worst total icing I have ever made. One start b/c the consistency was okay, but you can adjust that with any icing recipe.

This was the best.  I added a little extra powdered sugar and a little vanilla.  It's good on the cookie and I can't comment enough on how perfect the consistency was!!

Hi Sally!
I don't have meringue powder ,but I heard you could replace it using a fresh egg white. I was wondering if that would work for this recipe? 
Thankyou!

Thank you! I don't like sugar cookies , but these cookies were delicious ! :)

Hi! I’m going to be making cookie kits for the holidays and am wondering what kind of frosting/icing to use that won’t separate if stored in a pastry bag for a day for the kits.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=goU4DtT6xCI

Here is my classic easy royal icing made with meringue powder. It’s easy to work with, sets quickly, and won’t break your teeth when it dries. It has the most delicious taste and texture and makes decorating sugar cookies fun and simple. Use this traditional royal icing recipe for both flooding and outlining your sugar cookies!

Ingredients
4 cups (480g) confectioners’ sugar, sifted
3 Tablespoons meringue powder
9–10 Tablespoons room temperature water
optional for decorating: gel food coloring

Get the full recipe here: https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/royal-icing/

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#baking #recipes #icing

Welcome to my kitchen! I’m Sally, a cookbook author, photographer, and blogger. My goal is to give you the confidence and knowledge to cook and bake from scratch while providing quality recipes and plenty of pictures. Grab a cookie, take a seat, and have fun exploring! 

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My Favorite Royal Icing | Sally's Baking Addiction

Looking for an easy Christmas cookie recipe? These leg lamp cookies are the best.

Leg Lamp Cookies

(16.5-oz.) log refrigerated sugar cookie dough

c. all-purpose flour

(0.67-oz.) tubes black gel icing

Reese’s Big Cups

c. yellow decorating icing

peanut butter

Which Christmas movie do you HAVE to watch?

https://streaming.hearstdigitalstudios.com/7d4995cc-11c0-4c05-994d-d4547adf268a/video_rover_16x9_1080p_hd_1544642163_32030.mp4

These leg lamp cookies are a major homage to an unforgettable Christmas Story. They'll be your new favorite Christmas cookie for your cookie swap.

Leg Lamp Cookies Will Get A Christmas Story Fans SO EXCITED

Here's what you need: unsalted butter, granulated sugar, cream cheese, large egg, large egg yolks, McCormick® vanilla extract, McCormick® almond extract, kosher salt, all purpose flour, baking powder, cream of tartar, powdered sugar, kosher salt, vanilla extract, gel food coloring, water, pasteurized egg white

How to Make the Best Sugar Cookies Recipe by Tasty

unsalted butter, softened

sugar

cream cheese, softened

McCormick® vanilla extract

McCormick® almond extract

salt

all purpose flour,

baking powder

cream of tartar

vanilla extract

gel food coloring, of your choice

The official home of all things Tasty, the world’s largest food network. Search, watch, and cook every single Tasty recipe and video ever - all in one place!

Tasty

Make the cookie dough: In a large bowl, cream together the butter, sugar, and cream cheese with an electric hand mixer on high speed for about 5 minutes, until fluffy and the sugar is mostly dissolved. Scrape down the bowl as needed to evenly beat the mixture.

Add the egg, egg yolks, vanilla, and almond extract and mix well, scraping down the sides of the bowl.

Add the salt, then sift the flour, baking powder, and cream of tartar into the bowl and fold to incorporate some of the flour. Then beat on low speed, just until incorporated and the dough comes together.

Shape the dough into a flat disc and wrap tightly in plastic wrap.  Chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, or up to 3-4 days.

When ready to bake the cookies, preheat the oven to 350˚F (180˚C).  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Remove the dough from the fridge and let sit at room temperature for a few minutes to soften slightly.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the cookie dough with a rolling pin to ¼-inch (6mm) thick.

Dip cookie cutters of your choice in some extra flour and cut out shapes from the dough. Gather any excess dough into a ball and chill in the fridge to firm, then re-roll and cut out more cookies. Place the cookies on the prepared baking sheet and chill for at least 20 minutes to ensure they hold their shapes.

Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges just barely start to turn golden brown. Cool completely on a wire rack before decorating with royal icing or frosting.

To make the royal icing, sift the powdered sugar into a large bowl and add the salt. On one side of the bowl, add the vanilla and egg whites.

Where you added the liquids, begin whisking the powdered sugar into the liquids, gathering a bit more as you whisk to prevent lumps from forming, until all of the powdered sugar is incorporated. Add food coloring, if desired, and whisk to incorporate. You can divide the icing into smaller bowls to make more than one color. At this point, the icing should be a good consistency for piping borders. If you’d like the frosting to be looser to flood or dip your cookies, add a few tablespoons of water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until it reaches your desired consistency.

https://vid.tasty.co/output/117767/landscape_480/1543621734

Here is my classic easy royal icing made with meringue powder. It's easy to work with, sets quickly, and won't break your teeth when it dries. It has the most delicious taste and texture and makes decorating sugar cookies fun and simple. Use this traditional royal icing recipe for both flooding and outlining your sugar cookies!

Tablespoons meringue powder (not plain egg white powder)

Icing completely dries in about 2 hours at room temperature. If you&#8217;re layering royal icing onto cookies for specific designs and need it to set quickly, place cookies in the refrigerator to help speed it up. See blog post above for make-ahead and freezing instructions.

Hi, I just made the icing and it is not drying? Help!

NEED YOUR ADVICE – 
I used this recipe and it went on like a dream, looks smooth and glossy. Loved the result and was so excited after 2 hours of piping…but then… MY CHALLENGE it doesn’t totally harden. it has a nice crust and looks like it’s hard, but it will still dent with pressure or fingernails – so I can’t bag and stack or transport – they will get dinged up. I dried them in front of a table fan for 2 hours, then left them out overnight with a ceiling fan on. I let them sit for 12 hours so far, still fingernail marks or can get depressed with finger. Then I tried one test cookie in the oven with the light on, no heat; and one test cookie in the tiny toaster oven/air fryer on “warm” lowest setting for 10 mins (that actually made it SOFTER). Nothing seems to make these harden totally. I did use 10 T of water instead of 8T (half a cup) and I do live in a coastal town on the water, so I am guessing the humidity is high (even though I’m in side with AC and fans on). 
I also used "pure almond extract" (morton and basset)  2 capfuls. (Contains: Extractions of bitter almond oil in 35% alcohol.)  (I think i've used in the past)
Any thoughts or help or hacks if it’s not totally hardening? more meringue powder? change the extract?

This recipe called for too much water and mine came out really watery!
So I ruined it!

Hello! I'm trying to find an icing that will withstand heat, will this icing do the trick?  Thank you.

I’ve been dying to learn how to make royal icing cookies for years. I’ve tried another recipe in the past but it was a complete fail. I made rose cookies with a 2D tip using your royal icing recipe and your sugar cookie recipe. They came out perfect. The icing held its shape and hardened pretty fast. I love how the icing is hard when you touch it but when you bite into it, it’s soft. My cookies were pretty and tasted delicious. Thank you so much for your recipes. I can’t wait to make more royal Icing cookies.

My classic easy royal icing is easy to work with, sets quickly, and won’t break your teeth when it dries. It has the most delicious taste and texture and makes decorating sugar cookies fun and simple!

Get the full recipe: https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/royal-icing/

• Ask your recipe question or leave a review over on the recipe page.

#baking #recipes #icing

• More of our favorite recipes: https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/

Here is my classic easy royal icing made with meringue powder. It's easy to work with, sets quickly, and won't break your teeth when it dries. It has the most delicious taste and texture and makes decorating sugar cookies fun and simple. Use this traditional royal icing recipe for both flooding and outlining your sugar cookies.

Pour confectioners&#8217; sugar, meringue powder, and 9 Tablespoons of water into a large bowl. Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat icing ingredients together on high speed for 1.5 &#8211; 2 minutes. When lifting the whisk up off the icing, the icing should drizzle down and smooth out within 5-10 seconds. If it&#8217;s too thick, beat in more water 1 Tablespoon at a time. I usually need 10 Tablespoons but on particularly dry days, I use up to 12-14 Tablespoons. Keep in mind that the longer you beat the royal icing, the thicker it becomes. If your royal icing is too thin, just keep beating it to introduce more air OR you can add more confectioners&#8217; sugar.

When applied to cookies or confections in a thin layer, icing completely dries in about 2 hours at room temperature. If icing consistency is too thin and runny, it will take longer to dry. If the icing is applied very thick on cookies, it will also take longer to dry. If you&#8217;re layering royal icing onto cookies for specific designs and need it to set quickly, place cookies in the refrigerator to help speed it up. See blog post above for make-ahead and freezing instructions.

I’ve followed this recipe exactly and the icing will not fully dry/set, now 20 hours since I decorated the cookies. I must have applied it thicker than is intended but it’s not very thick at all to inflate the wait time so much. It is frustrating!

Oh gosh; I only wish I had your experience, Sally!  My meringue powder must have been too old, and I only needed 1/8 of the quantity (1/2 c. powdered sugar, etc.).  I have made 1/4 of the quantity of this recipe before without a hitch.  This time however, although my frosting had the proper 5-10 second melt consistency in the mixing bowl, the texture fizzled to goo once I started piping it from a bag.  And it just got gooier the more I piped it.  My poor gingerbread cookies look pretty sad and my poor mother now thinks I've got an early case of holiday bah humbugs.  Hopefully, I'll recover before we have to start our holiday baking in earnest.  Thanks for all your recipes!  They truly are the best, even if  yours truly cannot make them work, all of the time.

Hi Sally, if I can't get meringue powder before I need the cookies to be ready because I'm going to have to order it, how would I go about using the fresh eggs version?

This recipe is excellent! Super easy to make and the icing hardened up nicely with a smooth finish. This is my new go-to royal icing recipe for decorating cookies.

My classic easy royal icing is easy to work with, sets quickly, and won’t break your teeth when it dries. It has the most delicious taste and texture and makes decorating sugar cookies fun and simple!

Get the full recipe: https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/royal-icing/

• Ask your recipe question or leave a review over on the recipe page.

#baking #recipes #icing

• More of Sally's baking recipes: https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/

My Favorite Royal Icing | Sally's Baking Recipes

The BEST cut-out sugar cookies! No softening butter, no chilling dough, they bake up super soft and never spread. Your new go-to recipe!

Cut-Out Sugar Cookies

unsalted butter

all-purpose flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking pans with parchment paper and set aside.

Using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.

Add the egg, vanilla, baking powder, and salt, and mix until combined and smooth, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed.

Reduce the mixer speed to low and gradually add the flour, only mixing until the dough just comes together. Give it a final mix with a rubber spatula, folding and pressing it together, to ensure all of the flour is mixed in.

Separate the dough in half and work with one piece at a time, roll the dough ¼-inch thick. Cut out shapes as desired and place them on the prepared baking sheets, leaving at least 1 inch of space between cookies.

Bake until the cookies look set and are slightly firm to the touch but still pale, about 10 to 12 minutes.

Cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

This is a basic, but delicious 3-ingredient Royal Icing recipe that is perfect for cookie decorating.

Classic Royal Icing Recipe

Cups Powdered Sugar (450 grams)

Tablespoons Meringue Powder (+½ teaspoon)

¼ Cup Water (+ 1-3 Tablepsoons)

Measure 4 cups (450g) of powdered sugar and sift into a large bowl.

Sift in 2 tablespoons + ½ teaspoon of meringue powder into the powdered sugar.

Add ¼ cup of lukewarm water and beat with a hand or stand mixer on low for about 30 seconds. The mixture will be very dry and have many small clumps.

Add 1-2 tablespoons of water (one at a time) and continue beating on low for another 30-60 seconds. The mixture will start to moisten and large clumps will form and it will appear slightly yellow.

Gradually add water ½ - 1 teaspoon at a time (or use a spray bottle to better control how much water you are adding). Continue beating on low until the icing gets smooth, turns white, but should still be quite thick.

Cover the completed Royal Icing with a wet paper towel to keep it from drying out when you are mixing colors.

Plan what colors and consistencies you will be using.

Spoon out the royal icing into a smaller bowl for your first color (start lightest and work your way to the darkest colors) Add food coloring in small amounts at a time until you achieve the desired color.

Using the spray bottle (or drops of water at a time) get the dyed icing to the thickest consistency you will need for that color. Add a portion of this to a piping bag and tie shut.

With the remaining icing of the first color, add more water to achieve the next thickest color, and continue this process until you have all of the first color secured in piping bags.

Continue this process with each color until you have all of the royal icing consistencies and colors you need for your project.

One batch of royal icing should decorate approximately 24 medium (3&quot;) cookies. This could vary depending on how large your cookies are or how much detail icing you need for your design.

Any extra royal icing can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for a few weeks or up to a few months in the freezer. To use again, bring back to room temperature and stir very well. If you have extra icing in piping bags you can also keep in the refrigerator or freezer in a ziplock bag.

Learn how to make easy royal icing recipe with meringue powder that dries hard, making it easy to stack cookies. Perfect for piping and decorating cut out sugar cookies, especially during Christmas holidays.

How to make Royal Icing (For Cookie Decorating)

Meringue powder

tbsp Warm water (Not hot)

corn syrup

Powdered sugar

tsp Vanilla extract

In a deep bowl, add meringue powder and warm water.

Beat this for about 1 minute until you have a white and frothy mixture.

Add powdered sugar, corn syrup and vanilla extract and start mixing at medium to medium-high speed.

Continue mixing until your icing becomes thick and peaks start forming. This usually takes about 5 minutes of mixing at high speed.Note: This icing is at the “thick consistency stage.” You can add some water to thin it out if you need your icing to be thinner. Please remember that a little water goes a LONG way. Add only 1/4 tsp water at a time and make sure to mix properly again.

You can now color your icing with gel colors. If you want a pure bright white icing, then I highly recommend adding white gel food coloring.

Mix with a spoon until the color is fully blended into your icing.Note: The color of your icings will get deeper and better the longer they sit.

This icing dries very quickly, if exposed to air. Make sure you store it in a sealed  container with a tight lid and cover container tightly in saran wrap.

Best real icing recipe, hands down!  Wondering if it can it be frozen?

I love this icing!  I've been looking for an easy icing that's inexpensive. I used to make it from scratch. But I got tired of doing that and it doesn't last long when you have to refrigerate it. Then I was buying the tubs of icing already made and thinning it but that got expensive. This truly is dummy proof! Thank you so much!

I love your detailed recipe thank you so much very helpful..cant wait to use this on some melted snowman cookies..

I think Julie must have misunderstood what you meant by decorating cakes with royal icing or maybe she didn’t read the article fully... adding details with royal icing to a cake is a technique just like adding details w buttercream, fondant, chocolate etc.. it’s just about personal preference. WHO CARES

Thank you for your thoughtful post on royal icing. I can’t wait to start experimenting on Christmas cookies this year. Happy Holidays!

https://content.jwplatform.com/videos/DzOmgvYn.mp4

Best Sugar Cookie Icing

This easy cut-out sugar cookie recipe makes about 25 cookies. They bake up soft in the center with crisp edges, hold their shape perfectly, and are ideal for decorating with royal icing or buttercream. Perfect for Christmas, birthdays, or any celebration.

Cut Out Sugar Cookies

g (½ cup) unsalted butter, softened

80 g (⅔ cup) powdered sugar (confectioners’ sugar)

egg,

200 g (1½ cups) all-purpose flour

In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the softened butter and powdered sugar on medium speed for 1–2 minutes until smooth and creamy.

Add the egg and vanilla extract, then mix again until fully incorporated and the dough looks smooth.

Add the flour, salt, and baking powder (if using). Mix on low speed just until everything comes together — stop as soon as the dough looks uniform to avoid overmixing.

Gather the dough with your hands, shape it into a ball, and wrap it in plastic wrap.

Chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to firm up the texture and prevent spreading while baking.

Roll the chilled dough on a lightly floured surface or between two sheets of parchment paper to about ⅛ inch (3 mm) thick.

Place the rolled dough in the freezer for 10 minutes to firm it before cutting shapes.

Use cookie cutters to cut out your designs, then transfer them to a baking sheet lined with parchment or silicone mats, spacing them about 2 inches (5 cm) apart.

Freeze the cut-out cookies again for 15–30 minutes before baking — this helps them keep their sharp shape.

Preheat the oven to 340°F (170°C) and bake for 8–10 minutes, until the edges start turning golden but the centers remain soft.

Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Once cooled, decorate with royal icing, powdered sugar icing, melted chocolate, or marzipan.

Turned out perfectly. Thanks for the recipe.

These hold their shape really well if you follow the instructions! I cut mine extra thick to make sure they are nice and soft and they come out perfect every time!

They really hold their shape well. Such an easy recipe to follow. Thank you for sharing!!

Came out great! They held their shape well , but we're still softer than traditional cut sugar cookies. Very tasty.

I used half margarine so they didn’t hold shape as well but goodness, these were easy and delicious! Perfect for frosting and quite easy to roll out, too.

Very good! Kind of like shortbread and crispy!!

Thank you so much for the detailed recipe and tips.  A beginner like me, need all the help I can get. I also used a thin stainless steel spatula to assist with removing the shape,  since I used a complicated Hello Kitty shape cookie cutter. I'll have to try another batch,  since I was afraid to undercook them and it didn't really brown at 15 minutes of cook time at 340 degrees. I failed to pack the sugar, but the frosting will bring it to the next level. Thank you!!!

This recipe is the first recipe that is detailed and works as you expect. Im so impressed. So grateful.

https://content.jwplatform.com/videos/aeg8okqR.mp4

This cut-out sugar cookie recipe makes soft, buttery cookies that hold their shape perfectly. Made with powdered sugar for a smooth texture, the dough rolls easily, bakes flat with no spread, and is perfect for royal icing or any frosting.

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Top 9 cookie decorating recipes from across the web

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My Favorite Royal Icing

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Cut Out Sugar Cookies

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