Making "Royal Icing", It's A Lot Easier Than You Think!
Mar 19 '05
The Bottom Line It's not hard to make frosted cookies .. if I can do it, so can you!
Making your own frosted cookies is a lot easier than you think. If you can mix a few simple ingredients together, add some tint, and use a squeeze bottle you can have awesome looking frosted cookies that people will ‘ooh’ and ‘ahh’ over whenever you serve them up. I’ll be completely honest, you won’t really save a whole lot of money making your own cookies over buying them from a bakery but you will have homemade treats that your kids can take to school, give to friends in a gift basket or just spoil your family with some cute looking cookies. Most people are really amazed when they realize how easy it is to make these types of cookies; you can use the royal icing on pretty much anything from small cake pieces [petit fours] to brownies. For me it’s a constant challenge to come up with new ideas in the kitchen; if I see something on Food Network those wheels in my brain start working and I try to come up with some variation of it.
What You Need
1. Meringue powder
2. Large bowl
3. Measuring spoons and cup
4. Squeeze bottles
5. Tint or coloring
6. Confectioners sugar
There are two ways to make royal frosting; one involves using egg whites, which really isn’t something that most people will want to go through because of the possibility that they could run the risk of salmonella poisoning. The easier way to go is to purchase a container of meringue powder; personally I like the Wilton brand but to be honest, they are all almost identical as far as the ingredients go and how they are prepared. The second thing you will need is a good solid bowl; some prefer stainless steel others ceramic, as long as it is big enough for you to mix the ingredients in, it will work. You will also need a good set of measuring spoons as well as a measuring cup; these need to be dry and free of any type of grease. Lastly, to make this as simple as possible, consider purchasing some plastic squeeze bottles. This makes applying the royal icing a complete snap and you can cut the tips on them to any size opening you like. If you want to work with different colors then you will need to purchase some icing tint or coloring. Using food coloring will water down the icing and it may take a lot longer for it to harden.
The Recipe
3 tablespoons meringue powder
4 cups confectioners’ sugar
5 tablespoons warm water
You can slap everything into a bowl and mix it up but I like to take my time so that I know that there aren’t any lumps or clumps. I usually start with the four cups of confectioners sugar in a large bowl then add the meringue powder to it and work it all together, you can sift the ingredients but it isn’t a necessity that you do so. Next add the five tablespoons of warm water – not hot but warm. Mix until everything looks creamy and smooth and if you are making this in advance, cover it with a piece of plastic wrap so it doesn’t start to dry out. If you want to add a tint to it, this is the time to do it! Add small amount of tint at a time, it is a lot easier to add more than it is to try and thin the color out. You can store the mixed batch in the bowl providing that it is covered and doesn’t come into contact with air or you can pout it into a squeeze bottle so it will be ready when you are set with the cookies.
Things To Know
• If you are going to frost a cookie using the squeeze bottle method add a drop or two of water to the mix, this will make it a little easier to work with along the edges and you won’t end up having to play ‘beat the clock’ when working with the icing. If you make a mistake use the back end of a butter knife to remove the line and start over.
• Once you get the feel of using the squeeze bottle or decorating bag and tips you can make different sized lines. Once you feel comfortable enough you can draw out designs using food safe markers then use the icing to go over it and make dazzling treats!
• Make sure you give the icing enough time to harden. I can’t tell you how many times I stuck my finger into a cookie to see if the icing was done only to have it squish under the weight of my finger. Generally an hour is enough time for them to harden but it may take longer in warmer or humid weather.
• Store your cookies flat and if you have to stack them or have them touching each other, use wax or parchment paper to separate them. Another great thing to have on hand if you are going to be making a ton of frosted cookies are the pastry sheets, these are the things you use to grab doughnuts, bags and cookies at the grocery store. You can pick these up at restaurant supply stores pretty cheap [about $3.00 for a box of 500].
As always, thanks for the read!
~^V^~ Freak ~^V^~
© 2005 Freak369
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