Food & Cooking Recipes Dessert & Treats Recipes Royal Icing With Egg Whites 5.0 (4) 4 Reviews Try this versatile 2-ingredient royal icing for your next baking project. By Martha Stewart Martha Stewart Martha Stewart is a bestselling author, entrepreneur, and lifestyle expert who has taught millions of people through generations the joy of entertaining, cooking, gardening, collecting, crafting, and home renovating via her eponymous magazine, Martha Stewart Living, Emmy-winning television shows, and 99 books (and counting). Based in Katonah, N.Y., where she helms her 156-acre Bedford Farm, Martha is America's first self-made female billionaire. Editorial Guidelines Updated on September 5, 2023 Rate PRINT Share Yield: 4 cups Intricately decorated holiday cookies are just one of the many (delicious) ways to use our royal icing recipe—and you only need two staple ingredients: egg whites and confectioners’ sugar, which are mixed together to make a thick, sweet glaze. A stand mixer or electric hand mixer are a great tool for the task, especially if you’re making a big batch of royal icing. The beaters help incorporate the egg whites into the sugar, so you end up with a delightfully smooth glaze. This royal icing recipe is perfect for piping decorations onto cakes and cupcakes, making homemade sprinkles, or coating pretzel twists and dried fruit. If you don't want to use egg whites, try a recipe that uses meringue powder. Meringue is made by grinding dehydrated egg whites into a powder. It is usually pasteurized, so it's safe to eat. What Is Royal Icing? Royal icing is a sweet, thick glaze that is used to decorate cookies, cakes, and everything in between. You can pipe it onto confections, drizzle it with a spoon, or dip cookies into the glossy glaze. It starts off soft and liquid (almost like Elmer's glue), but as it dries, it hardens to create a crisp shell. It is made using confectioners' sugar, water, and either egg whites or meringue powder. You can also mix in flavors at the end. Think fresh lemon juice or extracts, like vanilla, almond, or peppermint. You can also tint royal icing with gel food coloring to create fun colors. Should You Use Frosting or Icing on That Cake? Here's When to Use Each of These Sweet Toppings Royal Icing Made with Egg Whites: The most traditional way to make royal icing is with raw egg whites. Egg whites will create the most smooth, glossy finish on whatever you use the royal icing to decorate with. Royal icing made with meringue powder will have a more matte finish. Ways to Use Royal Icing: Decorate holiday cookies, from Easter bunnies to snowflakes. You can either dip cookies into royal icing or transfer the icing to a pastry bag and pipe on designs. Pipe fun decorations for cakes and cupcakes. You can use royal icing to make an otherwise simple cake or batch of cupcakes special. Pipe easy shapes like stars or hearts onto pieces of wax paper and let them dry before adorning the cake. Make homemade sprinkles. Place the royal icing in a pastry bag fitted with a very small round tip. Use firm, even pressure to pipe long strips of icing (in your favorite colors) onto parchment paper. Once dry, break the strands of icing into smaller bits and sprinkle generously over birthday cakes. Coat pretzels and dried fruit. Similar to candy-coated snacks, you can dip things like hard pretzels and raisins into royal icing while it's still wet. They are the perfect movie snack. Decorate gingerbread houses. Royal icing can be used to both decorate and build gingerbread houses. Add a bit more sugar to the icing you plan to use to hold the cookie pieces together—thick, stiff icing is ideal here. Martha's Favorite Royal Icing Recipe for Decorating Sugar Cookies Different Consistencies for Royal Icing: You can adjust the consistency of royal icing, depending on how you plan to use it for your baking project. As a general rule, whisking more sugar will thicken royal icing, while adding water will thin it out. Stiff: Stiff royal icing should hold peaks, similar to whipped cream. This consistency is perfect for building gingerbread houses.Piping: This consistency should hold its shape when piped, rather than "melting." It is ideal for making designs on cakes or outlining cookies.Flooding: Royal icing should be fairly wet, similar to the consistency of soap. You can use this royal icing to fill in outlined cookies. Ingredients 3 large eggs 4 cups confectioners' sugar (one 1-pound box), sifted Directions Grant Webster Beat egg whites: Place egg whites in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat using the whisk attachment until frothy. Grant Webster Add sugar and beat: Add 1/4 cup of the sugar and mix well. Gradually add the remaining 3 3/4 cups sugar, beating on low speed and scraping down the sides. Grant Webster Add the sugar slowly. Incorporating a little bit at a time will keep the icing smooth. Finish mixing until thick: Increase the speed to high and continue to beat the mixture until soft peaks form, about 5 minutes. At this stage, the icing will be very thick. Grant Webster Add water: Add water, a few drops at a time, to thin it to the consistency appropriate for the kind of decorating you are doing. As a rule, the icing should be stiffer for lettering, more malleable for making petals—but you will need to experiment to find the consistency that works best for you. Grant Webster If adding food coloring to your royal icing, always keep some plain white icing as a reference. The food coloring will change the consistency of the icing a bit, so you can always look to the plain icing as a reference for consistency. Easy Ways to Separate Eggs, According to a Pastry Chef How to Store Royal Icing: Grant Webster Royal icing should be stored in an airtight container. To keep it extra fresh, place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the icing to prevent a skin from forming. The icing will stay fresh at room temperature for two days, or in the refrigerator for five days. If refrigerating, let the icing return to room temperature before using it. Frequently Asked Questions Should eggs be at room temperature for royal icing? Room-temperature eggs will incorporate into the royal icing easier than cold ones, but it's not absolutely necessary for this recipe. Cold eggs are easier to separate, so if you have the time, go ahead and separate the egg whites from the yolks, then let the whites come to room temperature. Is it safe to eat the raw egg whites in royal icing? While the risk is very minimal, there is always a possibility that eating raw egg products can cause food-borne illnesses. Try meringue powder if you prefer! Raw eggs should not be used in food preparation for pregnant women, babies, young children, the elderly, or anyone whose health is compromised. Why won't my royal icing harden? If your royal icing isn't hardening, you most likely added too much water. Whisk in more confectioners' sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, to thicken the icing. Royal icing also takes quite a while to set up and harden. Make sure you've given it enough time to settle before troubleshooting. Always make a test cookie and let it dry before continuing to decorate. This way, you can make sure your royal icing is the consistency you desire. Other Royal Icing Recipes to Try: Versatile Royal Icing Red, White, and Blue Royal Icing Royal Icing for Holiday Sugar Cookies Royal Icing for Gingercake House Martha's Favorite Royal Icing Originally appeared: Martha Stewart Living, May 1995 Rate It PRINT Updated by Riley Wofford Riley Wofford Riley is an associate food editor for Martha Stewart Living.