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I am also curious what makes this dry faster. The only meringue powder I have ever used is CK, which I order from CountryKitchenSA ($10 for one lb. or so). I used glaze for years because I had heard meringue smells bad, and royal icing tastes terrible. Then I  saw a post by SweetSugarBell on her blog about how brands can change the taste. I am very picky about taste, but it smelled sweet and like valilla, and the icing made with it was delicious.

I can't see how whipping the mix does anything but fluff it up and give you a larger volume of icing, plus make air bubbles a problem. When I whipped until stiff, my RI transfers crumbled, and weightd almost nothing. I went over to the Montreal Confections blog because she does a lot of RI transfers, and in her icing recipe video she also does not mix until stiff. After all, if it is normal for water to seperate and settle in the bottom of the bowl, it makes sense the same thing would happen on the cookie after a couple of hours. Plus, by whipping until stiff, you need even more water to thin it to a good consistency. I like my cookies soft-ish, and don't like the icing to be rock hard. If I can stack it, it's good enough for me.

I wonder what you tried that did not work? I have been trying to find a recipe that works for me, and it would be nice if I don't have to make all the same mistakes you must have overcome. I am going to give your recipe a try for my next batch, so thanks!

So RI has a flavor and texture?* Hummm...

 

It's been a long time since I flooded a cookie.   The cookies were always pretty, but I don't like to eat food color or RI. (*Please read above comment.)  I always knocked the RI off of my cookie before I ate it and told the kids to do the same...talk about a party pooper.

 

I use RI now only to decorate the gingerbread cookies we eat, give as gifts and hang on the tree and in the windows at Christmas.  They're decorated in a Euorpean style, simple line designs, so there isn't much icing on them at all.  In fact, it falls off when you eat the cookie. (*texture uh?)  You could say that I'm pretty lackadaisical about RI.

 

However, having discovered Cookie Connection I've been attacked by the cookie bug and have an obssesive desire to bake and flood decorate cookies again.

 

Thanks for removing the hunt for the perfect RI Karen. I know, I know, you don't claim it's perfect, but it reads perfectly to me.

 

I'll keep you posted!

Pip

 

 

 

 

 

Last edited by pip

Thank you so much for sharing this recipe, Karen! I'm new to cookie decorating (and am already addicted!) and this recipe was the first royal icing recipe I tried. It was so easy to make and easy to use, especially for a beginner. But even though it worked well, I wanted to try an egg white recipe b/c meringue powder is so much more expensive. But nope, your recipe is sooo much better--faster drying, colors blend smoothly, liquid doesn't weep out, etc.--that it's worth the extra cost. Thank you!

Cat Colbert posted:

This is my all time favorite royal icing recipe!   I have used it since I began decorating cookies.  Because my house is usually so dry, I only need to use 5 Tbs of meringue powder.  I also add 1 tsp of glycerin which helps soften the bite and helps cookies to stay soft longer.  Thank you for sharing.  โ™กโ™กโ™กโ™กโ™ก

Ditto!! I also add glycerin, 1 tsp, for the same reason. This is a great recipe. When I plan to pipe a lot of flowers then I'll usually add 1/4 C additional powdered sugar.

Pip & Bakerloo...I cannot explain exactly why this icing dries as quickly as it does or resuces craters. Yes, I do believe the cream of tartar plays an important role.  What i do know is that many batches of icing were made and experimented with by changing measurements, brands of ingredients, time mixing and other steps. The combo of the MP, cream of tartar and mixing time would be most important. Whatever, the reason for its quick drying and smooth surface-it works. ๏ฟฝ๏ฟฝ