Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Fuss-free cookie decorating
Every year as the holidays approach, I eagerly anticipate baking and decorating sugar cookies. And every year, they don’t exactly turn out as planned. That’s because decorating cookies is a lot easier said than done — especially if you’re a perfectionist like me who wants straight lines and clean edges.
But this year, I’m prepared. I got to work developing a simple royal icing recipe that makes cookie decorating as stress-free (and mess-free) as possible.
It’s easy to make (no meringue powder necessary), and its supersmooth texture makes it the best icing for picture-perfect cookies. Fuss-free cookie decorating is possible, and this recipe is the perfect place to start.
The biggest difference between royal icing and the type of icing you see drizzled over coffee cakes or spread onto cinnamon rolls is the texture. Royal icing dries into a hard, candylike coating that crunches when you bite into it. It’s designed to harden so you can decorate on top of it with piped royal icing, or even paint it.
You only need three ingredients for this easy royal icing: egg whites, powdered sugar and any extracts or food colorings you like. I recommend using conventional powdered sugar rather than organic, which can give the icing an unwanted gray color. We’ve opted for egg whites rather than meringue powder (which you may see in other recipes) since meringue powder can be hard to source.
We’ve also included measurements for using pasteurized liquid egg whites in our recipe. These are the egg whites that come in the carton near the shell eggs. They’re a bit easier to work with and will save you from having to separate your eggs.
When you’re ready to decorate, you’ll want to split the icing into two bowls: one for piping and one for flooding. It’s important to note that royal icing dries out very quickly and forms a crusty skin if left uncovered, so make sure to cover it anytime you’re not working with it. If the surface does dry out, discard any dry pieces and give the icing a good mix to rehydrate it.
Piping icing: Piping icing is what you’ll use to pipe borders around the cookies. It should be relatively thick — like toothpaste. If you make the recipe as is, you should have the right consistency for piping.
Flooding icing: This icing is used to fill the piped border of icing with loose frosting that evenly “floods” from edge to edge. This icing should be the consistency of honey, pourable yet still relatively thick. The best way to achieve this is to add a few tablespoons of water. We recommend adding one tablespoon at a time — stirring between each addition — until your desired consistency is achieved. You can always add more water, but you can’t take it away, so go slow and don’t rush it. If there are any air bubbles on the surface of your icing, use a toothpick to pop them.
While it might be tempting to stack your beautifully decorated cookies on a festive plate, rushing to do so will cause them to smear. Give your cookies at least four hours to dry before attempting to move them.