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In high school, I worked as a cookie decorator at my local bakery. I spent my after-school hours learning how to cut cookies, how to pipe intricate icing designs, and how to mix the smoothest, shiniest royal icing you’d ever seen. At the time, I never would have guessed that I’d go on to work in pastry kitchens across the country. Many of the skills I learned in that pink-walled kitchen would serve me for years to come.
Since that first bakery job, I’ve made so many batches of royal icing that I could probably do it in my sleep. This simple powdered-sugar-based icing is most commonly used to decorate sugar cookies and gingerbread people or houses. It’s the go-to choice of most cookie decorators—both amateur and professional—for a few reasons.
Unlike buttercream, a butter-based frosting that stays soft at room temperature, royal icing (made with just powdered sugar, water, and egg whites or meringue powder) hardens as it sets. Stack a few buttercream-frosted cookies on a platter and the piped design you’ve worked so hard on is likely to smear or get crushed. Royal icing, though, sets at room temperature, hardening into a sort of protective shell for the cookie. Cookies decorated with royal icing are easy to pack and transport. Seal the cookies in individual cellophane bags and they last for days at room temperature.
Given its sturdy constitution, royal icing is often used as “glue” in gingerbread house construction. Plus, this fluid icing can be dyed a whole rainbow of colors and piped into intricate designs. Buttercream is best for frosting large swaths of cake, but royal icing is my pick for more detailed cookie decorating.
Some royal icing recipes call for egg whites, beaten to stiff peaks, which give the icing structure. But shelf-stable meringue powder can accomplish the same task—without requiring you to add raw egg whites to your icing. Here’s what you need to know about this baker’s pantry staple.
What is meringue powder?
Meringue powder is made from dehydrated pasteurized egg whites and sometimes added ingredients, like sugar, cornstarch, gum arabic (a thickener), and citric acid or cream of tartar (both stabilizers). Because it’s made with pasteurized egg whites—from eggs that have been gently heated to kill any bacteria, without cooking the egg itself—it’s safe to eat in raw applications like royal icing.
Without meringue powder, royal icing would be loose and drippy, like a powdered sugar glaze. This shelf-stable dust adds the stability, volume, and fluffy body of whipped egg whites, without the risk of salmonella. It also gives icing a lustrous, pearlescent sheen.
Meringue powder is most commonly used as a substitute for whipped egg whites in royal icing, but it can also be used to stabilize and thicken whipped cream and buttercream, helping them hold their shape when piped. You can use it as a substitute for egg whites in meringue cookies.
According to Wilton, a brand known for its cake decorating and bakeware products, 2 tsp. meringue powder mixed with 2 Tbsp. water can be used as a substitute for 1 egg white. Note that meringue powder should not be used as a substitute for egg whites in baked goods like cake or brownies, as it will result in significant textural differences.
If you’re hosting a cookie decorating party or constructing a gingerbread house, you’ll want to buy a container of meringue powder. You can find it at some major grocery stores, craft stores (like Joann Fabrics), and most specialty cake or pastry supply shops. You can also order meringue powder online, from brands like Wilton and Chefmaster (some brands label it pasteurized egg white powder).
How to make royal icing:
Royal icing is incredibly easy to make. It requires just three ingredients: Powdered sugar, water, and meringue powder. To make royal icing, simply combine the meringue powder and powdered sugar in the stand mixer—I use around 1½ Tbsp. meringue powder per cup of powdered sugar. Whisk to combine, then with the mixer running on medium-low, slowly stream in water (1 Tbsp. at a time) until you reach the desired consistency. A looser, more viscous icing, with a texture like buttermilk, is best for dipping cookies, whereas a thicker icing is best for piping. Be conservative here—you can always thin it out with more water, but it’s more difficult to thicken icing that’s too runny. (You’ll need a lot more powdered sugar.) Increase the speed to medium and beat until the icing is fluffy and voluminous, about 2–5 minutes.
You can flavor the icing with a splash of vanilla extract, too, but it’ll tint the icing with a slight brownish hue. This doesn’t matter much if you’re dyeing the icing, but if you want to keep it a creamy white color, use clear vanilla extract or skip it entirely. Find detailed measurements and instructions in this recipe.