MAKES: 4 cups TESTED by: Juli H.

Royal Icing

TASTING COMMENTS:

When thinning the icing, add the least amount of water possible to create a thick, spoonable consistency. If the icing is too watery, it will develop a pitted appearance as it dries.—JH

start to finish 10 minutes

1. In a large bowl stir together powdered sugar, meringue powder, and cream of tartar. Add warm water and vanilla.

2. Beat on low until combined; beat on high 7 to 10 minutes or until icing is very stiff. If desired, tint with food coloring. Use immediately.

To store Cover bowl with a damp paper towel; cover with plastic wrap. Chill up to 48 hours before using.

Royal Icing

TESTING NOTES

1. Flour requires a light hand when measuring. Start by gently stirring the flour in the bag or canister with a fork to aerate it. Lightly spoon the flour into a dry measuring cup until it is overflowing. Use the back of a table knife to level off the top. Packing flour into the cup will increase the amount of flour in your recipe and result in tough, dry cookies.

2. For better blending, let butter stand at room temperature 30 minutes before beating it. Or microwave it on the defrost setting 15 seconds at a time just until spreadable.

3. We soften the butter so it blends better, but this creates a soft dough that sticks to surfaces and is hard to work with. So here’s the trick: Divide the dough in half, flatten each half slightly, and wrap separately in plastic wrap. Chill them in the fridge 2 hours to let the butter harden. That makes rolling dough and transferring cookies easier.

4. To roll out each dough half, start with rolling pin in the middle of the dough and roll to the edge. Continue rolling from middle to edge, giving the rolling pin a quarter turn with each stroke. This creates an even thickness across the dough.

5. It’s up to you whether you want your cookies thin (⅛ inch) or thicker (¼ inch). Thicker cookies will be softer, and thinner cookies will be crispier. (Keep a close eye on thinner cookies because they will bake quicker.) Position cookie cutters as close as possible on dough to maximize the number of cookies you get from the first rolling. The dough can be rerolled once to make more cutouts, but cookies will be less tender as you continue to work and handle the dough.

6. To apply the icing so it dries smooth, use a disposable plastic pastry bag or a resealable plastic bag with a very small hole snipped in one corner. Pipe an outline around the edge of the cookie. Pipe thinned icing inside the outline and spread to the edges with the back of a spoon, a thin metal spatula, or a clean small artist’s paintbrush.

7. To create an embedded web design, pipe a second color of icing in concentric circles over the base coat while it is still wet. Use a toothpick to drag lines through the two colors from the center toward the points of the star. Between star points, drag the toothpick from the outside toward the center. You can create several different looks by piping dots or lines of different colors and using a toothpick to drag the icing in a variety of patterns.

meringue powder Meringue powder is a mixture of pasteurized egg whites, sugar, and edible gums. It is the secret ingredient to making Royal Icing dry quickly with a smooth, hard finish. Look for it in the baking aisle of large supermarkets or in the cake decorating department of hobby and crafts stores.

paste food coloring Paste food coloring is perfect for creating bright colors. There are many colors to choose from and it doesn’t thin the icing like liquid coloring. Use a clean toothpick to add the coloring to the icing a little at a time until you reach the desired color.