Have you ever received a beautifully decorated sugar cookie only to find when you take a
bite that you might break your teeth? Yeah, me too. This expectation is usually what gives customers pause when purchasing these fancy cookies. By using this recipe, you never have to worry. It dries hard enough to stack and bag the cookies, but has a softer bite than regular royal icing.
Is it as soft as buttercream or glaze? No. It still is "crunchy" but its a soft crunch? It's hard to explain, but it's delicious, and I've received nothing but compliments for this recipe.
Does it pipe like regular royal icing? yes... but also no. You can use it. color it, stencil with it etc., like regular icing, but it has a slight elastic quality to it. It's subtle, but I think it helps with piping letters, and doing outlines/ detail work.
Now let's get to the recipe, right? This icing has two ingredients that are not typically present in royal icing. Glycerin, and corn syrup. Food grade, vegetable glycerin can be found at most hobby/ baking stores, and on Amazon of course. Corn syrup can be found in your grocery store's baking aisle.
Ingredients
4 Tbsp meringue powder
1 1/2 Tbsp corn syrup
2 tsp glycerin
1/2 Tbsp good vanilla
2 lb bag powdered sugar
1 cup water, plus more for mixing your consistencies
Here are some links to my favorite brands. These are affiliate links.
Equipment
A stand mixer is fairly essential for this to work properly. You can use a hand mixer, but I find it easier with my countertop stand mixer. I use my whisk attachment for the entire process.
I do not have issues with air bubbles unless I add too much water when mixing my consistencies later on. I store my icing in a big glass container with an air tight lid.
Instructions
Add the meringue powder and 1/2 cup water to the mixer. Using the whisk attachment, mix on high until foamy.
Add half of the powdered sugar. Mix on low, then high until sugar is mostly incorporated.
Add corn syrup, glycerin, and vanilla. Mix until combined.
Add the other half of the powdered sugar. Start mixing on low. At this time you may need to add up to another 1/2 cup of water. Add the water SLOWLY. You want the icing to stay fairly thick. You will add more water later on when you mix your consistencies.
Mix on med/ high for another 1-3 minutes or until all the lumps disappear. Be careful to not over mix on high for too long. You want smooth icing, but if it is overmixed it will not dry properly.
What's Next?
The icing will stay fresh for up to 2 weeks on the counter, or 4 weeks in the fridge. This should cover about 3-4 dozen cookies. When I make this icing, I typically make a double batch. If you want to see what that looks like, I have the recipe available on my YouTube.
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