ROYAL ICING IS THE REIGNING CHOICE FOR DECORATING YOUR
HOLIDAY COOKIES. HERE ARE THE TOP TIPS FROM OUR TEST KITCHEN.
MASTER FIRM AND FLOOD CONSISTENCIES.
Firm royal icing should be used to create fi rm outlines and borders for your cookies, while
fl ood-consistency icing is the best way to create a pool of smooth icing within those borders.
If icing is too thick, add more milk, and if it’s too thin, add more confectioners’ sugar. For reference,
fl ood-consistency icing has the appearance of runny honey. It is also occasionally called 10-second
icing because if you run your whisk through the icing, it should settle back down after 10 seconds.
USE MERINGUE POWDER.
In the old-fashioned royal icing recipes, egg whites were often used. With today’s
modern innovation, you can now use shelf-stable meringue powder to recreate the
same quick-setting, smooth icing. You can buy this ingredient at specialty
decorating stores, like Michael’s, and online.
TINT WITH GEL FOOD COLORING.
We like to use gel food coloring to tint royal icing because it won’t aff ect the
consistency like liquid food coloring does.
FOR THE FINEST DETAILS, USE SQUEEZE BOTTLES AND FOOD-SAFE BRUSHES.
If you need to pipe miniscule ornaments, fi ne golden ribbons, or any other
minute details onto your cookie, use smaller instruments like food-safe
paintbrushes and easy-to-control squeeze bottles. (We like Wilton Cake
Decorating Tools, 5-Piece Brush Set and Wilton Squeeze Bottles,
found at Michaels and online.) Wooden picks are also excellent for
swirling and marbling your icing on the fl y.
IF YOU’RE NOT USING ROYAL ICING IMMEDIATELY, COVER
WITH A DAMP PAPER TOWEL.
It’s the nature of royal icing to harden and dry out—so if you get busy
with other projects in the kitchen, be sure to cover the top of your
royal icing with a damp paper towel to keep it fl uid and fresh, but for no
more than 1 hour. You can also put the icing in an airtight container.
ALWAYS LET YOUR ICING DRY FOR A FEW HOURS.
It can take your royal icing a good bit of time to set up, close to 3 to
4 hours. Don’t rush this process—if you start to move your cookies or ice
with new details, you’ll risk smudging.