There is one thing every cookier needs in their arsenal… a favorite royal icing recipe. The royal icing recipe that I’m sharing with you today is my favorite because it is not only yummy (of course!) but it is the perfect texture. There is a not-so-secret ingredient that allows the icing to harden enough for stacking and shipping while remaining soft on the inside. No more biting into a beautifully decorated cookie and cringing because the icing is rock hard!
After trying several recipes for classic royal icing, I came across Sweet P’s recipe for Royal Glaze, a cross between royal icing and glaze. I loved her recipe because the icing did not harden as much as classic royal icing. I adapted her recipe slightly, making it the exact flavor and texture I wanted.
Begin by using a whisk to mix 5 tablespoons of meringue powder and 3/4 teaspoon of cream of tartar with 3/4 cup of warm water. Mix it for about 30 seconds, making sure that you get rid of all lumps.
If you are not familiar with meringue powder, it is used in royal icing as a substitute for raw eggs whites. Look, Mom, no Salmonella! It also helps to stabilize the icing and give it a nice texture. You can find it at your local craft store in the baking section or online. I started out using Wilton brand meringue powder, but have found that I prefer the taste of CK.
Now, get ready for a vicious arm workout! In a separate large bowl, sift two pounds of powdered sugar. I always make a mess doing this, so if you figure out how to do this without getting sugar everywhere, you’re a superstar in my eyes! Pssst… I heard an unconfirmed rumor that you can skip the sifting as long as you’re not doing piping with a really small tip.
Next, add the water mixture to the powdered sugar and mix it for about a minute to get it all combined. Then, add 2 tablespoons of light corn syrup, 1 teaspoon of glycerin, 12 drops of white gel food coloring, and your flavorings (I like to use 1 teaspoon vanilla, 1/2 teaspoon almond, and 1/4 butter). The corn syrup is an ingredient that is usually mentioned as optional in classic royal icing recipes. It adds a little gloss and elasticity to the icing. The glycerin is the not-so-secret ingredient that keeps the icing from being rock hard. You can find it in the baking section at craft stores or online. The purpose of the white food coloring is to make the icing a pleasant bright white instead of off white.
Now, put your mixer to work! Beat the icing on medium for about 6 to 8 minutes, until you can make a stiff peak that holds its shape. Pause and scrape down the sides of the bowl while mixing if needed.
Take a step back, lick your fingers, and smile at the fluffy white sweetness you have created!
If you are saving the royal icing for later use, I suggest storing it in Tupperware containers (that you use for icing only, see Keep Oil Out of Royal Icing for the lesson that I learned the hard way), covered with plastic wrapped, and sealed tightly.
If you are ready to start decorating, separate your icing into smaller bowls, color with gel food coloring, and add water (a tiny bit at a time) to get the consistency you want.
Well, what are you waiting for? Now that you’re a royal icing ninja, grab your sugar cookie recipe and get baking!
Royal Icing (That Won’t Dry Rock Hard)
sugarkissed.net
Ingredients
5 tablespoons meringue powder
3/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
3/4 cup warm water
2 pounds powdered sugar
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1 teaspoon glycerin
12 drops white gel food coloring
1 teaspoon oil-free clear vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon oil-free clear almond extract
1/4 teaspoon oil-free clear butter flavoring
Directions
Use a whisk to mix together the water, meringue powder, and cream of tartar for about 30 seconds, making sure there are no lumps.
In a separate bowl, sift the powdered sugar.
Add the water mixture to the sugar and mix for one minute.
Add the corn syrup, glycerine, food coloring and flavoring.
Beat until the mixture forms stiff peaks, approximately 6 to 8 minutes, pausing to scrape down the edges of the bowl if needed.
It’s always good to see favourite recipes from the ‘experts’ (in my eyes
). Thanks so much for the post 
I have a question – I’ve only recently started decorating cookies (I use gingerbread) but I seem to be having a problem with the food colouring. I try to be very careful with how much colouring I’m adding but sometimes it seems that in order to get the perfect colour that you need, a lot of colouring needs to be added. When the cookies are eaten, mouths, teeth & tongues become coloured. I find blue is the worst for this so far, with red and green also showing signs of doing the same thing. Is there anything I can do or add to my royal icing to stop this from happening??
Tania, you are not alone. This has happened to me too. Most recently with my Star Wars cookies that had a navy background. The only solution I have been able to find is to use less icing. Since icing will darken over time, you can try making it the night be for with less coloring. Also, if you are making black, you can try starting with chocolate icing so that you will need less coloring. Hope this helps!
I’ve never had much luck frosting cookies – this icing looks perfect
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It’s perfection for me, Heather. But, everyone has to find what works best for them.
I have never made royal icing mainly because of fear of “rock hard” icing….(I use mp buttercream)….but you’ve got me wanting to try this, Janine…….excellent tutorial! Thank you.
Blessings, Donna B.
If you give it a try, let me know what you think, Donna!
Thanks so much Janine for this..I will be using this when I make my sugar cookies that I want to decorate.
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You’re welcome. I hope you enjoy it, Pamela!
Always looking to try new royal icing recipes. Your cookies are gorgeous!! Thanks for linking up at Pin It Thursday!
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Thanks, Emily! And thanks for hosting a great link party!
Was wondering if you know if the white food coloring affects this recipe much, considering i have every other color but white. Can I leave it out or will that affect the rest of the colors added? Love your site!
Kathy
You can leave it out. I didn’t always use it. I do find it makes my white less of an off white and I think it might help if you use flavorings that are not clear.
I found your recipe from the I heart naptime linky party, and I’m looking forward to trying it because it doesn’t have raw egg in it. My family’s recipe (which you can find on my WWE wrestling cake post) has raw egg whites, which always makes me a bit nervous. When I make my next cake that needs royal icing, I will be trying this one. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for visiting, Bonny. I hope you like the icing!
Wow! that’s a lot of ingredients and I don’t think we can get most of it here in the UK. I just use icing sugar, egg white and lemon juice. maybe it’s what I’m doing wrong?
Ruth at number 29 recently posted..Elmer love!
Sound like you are using more of a basic royal icing recipe, Ruth. I know my recipe has a lot more ingredients but I really love the fact that it doesn’t dry rock hard. And I get rave reviews on the flavor!
Some of the ingredients are totally unknown to me either in UK or in France. I do use glycerine plus the usual egg white, icing sugar and lemon juice but it still goes rock hard. I’ve tried boiled Italian icing, but that just falls off the cake!
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Sorry to hear that your icing is turning out harder than you would like, Viv. Which ingredients are you having trouble finding?
I have never seen a recipe with glycerin and corn syrup. This sounds interesting and I am going to try it out this weekend:) Thanks for sharing and I love the fun edges on your photos! Your site is so cute and fun:)
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If you get the chance to stop back by, I’d love to know what you think, Lisa!
oh I am keeping this one on file, I have always used glaze because I didn’t like hard royal icing.
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I hope you like it, Sue! It will definitely dry harder than glaze but will be softer than classic royal icing. Hopefully it will be a happy medium for you!
That is so nice of you to share! Plus, the secret ingredient tip is very helpful! Thanks for linking up.
CuteEverything recently posted..wonderful wednesday link party #14
The not-so-secret ingredient is what makes it different from traditional royal icing… I love it!
Thank you so much for linking up to Tasty Thursdays last week. Hope to see you again this week!! The party is live at http://mandatorymooch.blogspot.com/2012/08/tasty-thursdays-3.html
Nichi – The Mandatory Mooch
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I am gonna pin and zip this……I can’t wait to try it……..Thanks for linking it up @ CountryMommaCooks link and greet party…..hope to see you again tomorrow : )
Thanks, Deana! I will be there!
You are being featured at tonights Link and Greet party at CountryMommaCooks…….check out the sneak peek on CMC’s Facebook page : )
Awesome! Thanks, Deana!
Great tutorial! Your icing looks amazing. Thanks for sharing on Marvelous Mondays!
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Thanks, Julie! And thanks for hosting a great link party!
I’m new to making decorated cookies, and this recipe sounds fabulous! One question, though. When you say it’s doesn’t dry as “rock hard” as regular royal icing, does it still dry hard enough to stack cookies when they’re dry? I’d hate to work on all those details then have them smush together when I packaged them up. Looking forward to trying your recipe!!
Yes, Ashleigh, it definitely does. I ship my cookies all the time and have never had an issue. I just let it dry for about 24 hours before packing.
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I’m always worried about the “almond” ext as far as nut allergies. Should I not be worried?
Donna, my understanding is that pure almond extract can contain almond oil or proteins that may be an issue for someone who is highly allergic. But, sometimes almond flavoriings are not actually derived from almonds. It is best to check with the manufacturer to be sure.
Thanks for sharing. I am always game for trying a new twist on classic RI. I look Cookie Crazie Pam’s glaze, but now I want to try Sweet P’s Royal Glaze along with your favorite from this post.
Let me know what you think, Laura! Sweet P’s Royal Glaze is where I started with this icing. Love it!
Forgot to ask you if you’ve noticed an extended drying period with this icing over classic RI. Thanks in advance for your reply.
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It dries pretty quickly. I do notice that if I have a thick layer and it’s humid out it takes a little longer to dry. In those cases, I just set the cookies under a ceiling fan and that seems to speed it along. I’ve also heard a suggestion to speed up drying by setting the cookies in an oven with just the light on.
Hi Janine, where do you get/what brand are your oil-free flavorings? I’m having trouble finding oil-free.
My favorite flavorings are LorAnn’s. I find those in Hobby Lobby and online. Also, Michael’s carries clear Wilton flavorings that are oil free. I’ve also seen the Wilton ones at Wal-Mart.
There’s nothing like LorAnn’s emulsion flavors. If I can’t find at Hobby Lobby with my 40% off I order from fellow cookier… KarensCookies.net
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Yes, Laura…. I gotta remember my 40% off coupon!
With regards to the no sifting of powdered sugar unless using fine tips, I skip the sifting all the time now and use Lisa at The Bearfoot Baker’s tip that you can find here for straining through a nylon stocking. Works great!
That’s an awesome trick, Laura! I will definitely have to give that a try. I love how Lisa really emphasizes that you should use a stocking that hasn’t been worn before.
Hi, I was wondering how you use the same consistency for piping and flooding. You don’t add any water to it before flooding? How do you get it to be smooth when you flood?
thanks
Pat, as often as I can, I use a 12-count consistency icing. It is thick enough for outlining and thin enough for flooding. I hate mixing all the icing in two different thicknesses! Sweetopia has a great video tutorial showing how to do this. You can check it out here: http://youtu.be/n7OwnTAbfvQ
Hope this helps. Please let me know if you have any other questions!
thanks for this recipe, i want to know if i can use it to decorate cakes and also make some character designs
Agnes, I don’t recommend icing an entire cake with royal icing. It doesn’t stay soft like frosting. However, if you are looking for an icing that will be stiff so you can add details to a cake, this royal icing recipe is perfect for that. If your character designs are icing transfers, this royal icing recipe is great for that also.
How long does it take to harden/set-up?
Hi, Laurel. The royal icing will be pretty well set after a few hours. If I am shipping cookies, I try to let it really dry for a day or over night.
Hey Janine do you have a favorite type of cookie to use with the royal icing. I want to make some Easter egg shapes, but my sugar cookie recipe seems to be too soft. And the cookie cutter shapes come out horrible. Any tips? As you can tell I’m a newbie baker :p Thanks!
I sure do, Victoria! You can find my favorite sugar cookie recipe here: http://sugarkissed.net/sugar-cookie-recipe/ To help keep your cookies from spreading and losing their shape, make sure you chill them in the freezer for 10 – 15 minutes before baking. Hope this helps!
Thanks for this! The last few cookie orders I had, my royal icing dried so hard you could chip a tooth. Customers still raved that the cookies were fabulous but I don’t see how. I tried using 1/2 the merengue powder than usual thinking the merengue powder was the culprit. No dice. I have 2 dozen Spider-Man cookies due thus weekend and I’m gonna try this RI recipe. Got the ingredients today. Is it normal that I found the glycerin in the laxative area of the pharmacy dept at wal mart??
I hope this royal icing recipe is what you are looking for, Tassy.
I usually get my glycerin in the baking section at craft stores. So just make sure what you got is food grade and meant for consumption.
I’m afraid to use the glycerin I bought now that I have done some research. Here in Podunk town we don’t have a Hobby Lobby or other craft store. I guess I have to go with my rock hard royal icing because I cannot stand trying to decorate with merengue buttercream. :-\
Tassy, what about ordering it online?
Looks like I’ll have to. But there’s no time for that by the order I have due this week.
I checked the ingredients and its pure glycerin. I am a nurse actually and know that liquid glycerin (please excuse me) when given rectally acts as a laxative.
I could not find it either in the craft section or baking section at either store I want to :-\
What is the most glycerin you should add? I added I think too much and it’s sort of chalky texture once the RI is dry. I found 1 tsp not enough though
I’m not sure what the max is, Kristen, but you can certainly play around with adding more until you have the icing the way you like it. The recipe for Sweet P’s royal glaze calls for 1 tablespoon.
Do you have a problem
With this icing bleeding. Like the big contrast colors like white on black?
Tassy, I don’t have a problem with the icing bleeding if I let it dry completely in between icing color applications.
Hi Janine.. Could you pls guide me on which extracts and flavorings to get as I’m new to Royal Glaze n wanna try out this recipe. Are the following ok to use?
1. Almond Flavoring Clear by CK products OR Bakery Almond Flavoring Clear
2. Butter Flavoring All Clear
Or you wud recommend using Wilton’s or Lorann’s??
Thanks!!
My personal favorite is LorAnn’s but the others that you have should be fine. Just check the ingredients to make sure there’s no oil in it. Oil and royal icing don’t mix.
Hi! I’m just a newbie baker, can i use eggwhite instead of merengue, can i also use it to decorate a cake?
Yes, you can use egg whites to make royal icing. I have always used meringue powder but here is a link to a recipe by Sweetopia that you may want to try: http://sweetopia.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Classic-Royal-Icing-Made-with-Egg-Whites.pdf
I don’t suggest covering an entire cake in royal icing. The texture is too hard, it will not be pleasant to eat. Use the royal icing only for the decorations you are adding to the cake. Here is a link to a breakdown of different kinds of icing and what to use them for by Wilton: http://www.wilton.com/decorating/icing/icing-chart.cfm Hope this helps!
Hi there! This recipe seems so delicious, and I was wondering if you can use this to ice a cake. I am taking this class using the basic royal icing i.e. egg whites, lime juice, confectioner’s sugar, vanilla essence, but I’m looking for the best recipe to ice a cake, one where the icing will not melt but will stay firm enough to keep it’s shape. I live in a tropical country (Trinidad and Tobago) so the weather is always in oven temperature mode and so far, royal icing is the best to use i.e. it doesn’t melt quickly, but the worst to eat after it’s dried. The cake looks gorgeous, but well you know the effects of eating candy hard icing. Can you kindly suggest me something?
I don’t suggest covering an entire cake in royal icing. The texture is too hard, it will not be pleasant to eat. Use the royal icing only for the decorations you are adding to the cake. Here is a link to a breakdown of different kinds of icing and what to use them for by Wilton: http://www.wilton.com/decorating/icing/icing-chart.cfm Hope this helps!
I made this recipe to decorate cookies that I made and although the taste is very pleasant they aren’t setting completely. How long does the icing take to cure completely? I stuck them in the fridge this morning which seemed to help a bit, but then my outline icing started cracking. I used Wilton meringue, Wilton glycerin, Wilton Vanilla, (didn’t use almond and instead did vanilla only) and Wilton Butter flavor. The only other thing I did differently was cut the recipe in half since this was a test batch. I used my Kitchenaid mixer and glass bowls for any mixing, and one of my large silverware spoons. to mix the colors in, which were also Wilton gel colors added with toothpicks. So I don’t know where I went wrong. Any help would be great. Thanks!
Stephanie, after a few hours the icing is pretty hard. If I am packing, stacking, or hopping mine, I let them dry overnight. Is there oil in the flavoring that you used? I’ve done that before
It will cause the icing not to set. You also have to be very careful to make sure none of your tools have any oil on them. Even a drop with ruin your batch of icing. I have bowls and spatulas that I use only for royal icing to avoid this issue.
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Have question on storing RI? U mention put in Tupperware containers with plastic wrap & seal tightly. How long can u keep it stored & should I refrigerate in the container. Can RI be frozen, since usually recipe makes more than what I need for the moment which in most cases 3 dozen cookies at a time. Thanks in advance
Faye, I usually keep it in the fridge for up to about a week. Yes, you can freeze it! I was so thrilled when I discovered this because I always have leftovers. Another great tip is to mix all your leftover colored icing together to give you a head start on making black!
Wish me luck! haha I am going to try it out tomorrow. Going today to try to find all the ingredients. Making Halloween cookies for a girls get together on sunday.
I hope everyone loves the cookies and royal icing, Monique!
I am so happy with the taste! Even my husband who isn’t crazy about sugar cookies liked them! This will definitely be the recipe I use for my cookies. Thanks so much for sharing it.
So glad to hear it, Monique!
Hi . I thank you for this recipe, it’s a different from the one I was using before and I like it better, but the only thing I’m having trouble right now is that is to stiff and it doesn’t spread evenly on my cookie, can you please suggest me what to do??? plz. thank you!! your page is awesome!
Carolina, after you make the royal icing you need to thin it down using water to get the right consistency. I like to use 12-count consistency for all my outlining and flooding but some decorators use 3-count for flooding. Callye of The Sweet Adventures of Sugarbelle put together an awesome post, Consistency Is Key, explaining the different consistencies.
So pleased to find your delightful blog, Janine, could you ask my ques on royal icing recepy-? I m searching for a good elastique royal icing recepy, your seems very good, but the matter is i’m from russia and don’t understand 1 component of the recepy. What is “cream of tartar”? I cant find the translation anywhere. Kindly waiting for the answer, Julia
Julia, cream of tartar helps stabilize the royal icing and give it a creamier texture. Your meringue powder may already have some in it so you can try leaving it out if you can’t find it. Here is cream of tartar on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0087AZDG6/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1383444692&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX110_SY165_QL70
How does this work for holding together gingerbread houses? I’m looking forward to giving it a try! Thanks so much for sharing your talent! HUGS!
I would suggest leaving out the glycerin and corn syrup so it dries harder.
I was wondering if you can freeze royal icing for later use? I don’t want to have to throw away good frosting if I don’t have to.
She does address this earlier and it is a yes!
Absolutely, Tina! I was so thrilled when I first learned that you can freeze royal icing. Another helpful tip is to mix together all your left over icing and save it as a staring point the next time you need black icing.
Thanks, that helps me alot as I don’t usually bake except at Christmas time, I didn’t see where you say how long you can freeze the icing, can you tell me again?
I cannot find glycerin and I need this tomorrow and it’s snowing LOL. Do you think just adding the corn syrup would do the trick of the icing not getting rock hard? Thank you
The icing won’t be as soft without the glycerin but you can definitely make it without it.
Thanks, that helps me a lot, but I didn’t see how long you freeze the royal icing, since I generally bake at Christmas time. Can you tell me how long you can freeze it?
I’m not sure what the max time limit is but I have frozen mine for up to two months without any problems. Please keep in mind that I use my favorite royal icing recipe that include meringue powder, not egg whites.
I found you searching for a good recipe for gingerbread house construction. I suppose without the glycerin and corn syrup, it will hold together. Just wanted to comment tho that I find your blog beautifully put together and excellent in the details! Thanks for such fine work! Especially the pics to let you know what finished product is supposed to look like. Great job!
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Thank you for your sweet compliment, Ruth! Yes, I totally agree… leave out the glycerin and corn syrup for a gingerbread house.
I’m curious about the glycerin – is it vegetable glycerin, or chemical glycerin?
Renee, this is the glycerin I use: https://www.ckproducts.com/products/4472/GLYCERINE-65-OZ-76-125-/300
I followed the recipe and mine dried rock hard-any suggestions?
Rita, It will still be hard on the outside so that you can stack and ship the cookies. But it shouldn’t be as rock hard all the way through as regular royal icing. To make it softer, you can try adding a little but more glycerin. You can also try a straight glaze recipe or buttercream if you prefer something softer.
I am soooo excited to try this recipe! I LOVE making sugar cookies but we don’t like to eat them very much because of the icing. Which brings me to my question… I am going to try an adaption of an orange spice sugar cookie that I found online so I am wondering if you have any suggestions on how to change the flavourings. We are not big almond fans, can we just switch to orange or lemon or do you have any other ideas? Also, when you talk about going with chocolate in one of your suggestions, is there a way to adapt this recipe to chocolate? I know this is a lot to ask, but I’d be so grateful to you if you’d answer. Thank you so much for all the incredible effort you put out here for us all!