Fit for a King

     Ever wonder what kind of icing is used on all those gingerbread men and festively decorated cookies at Christmas?  It seems to abound in almost every color imaginable and never smears nor smudges.  What is it?



     Ask any professional baker and they will tell you, "Why, that's Royal Icing, of course!"  It is the standard for cookies and other cutouts that need decoration.  This is according to Nicole Weston, pastry chef and author of Baking Bites, a food blog she writes in Los Angeles.

     Royal icing "is made primarily from confectioners' sugar and lightly beaten egg whites, and often a bit of cream of tartar..." Lemon juice can also be added in as well.  She comments that the icing is very popular because the basic recipe can be flavored or colored very easily.  "The icing can be made thick, best for pining or writing greetings.  And it can be made thin, which is good for flooding large areas with color."  It also dries to be hard and shiny and won't smear the face of the gingerbread man when it is packed and shipped.

     "Royal icing can be whipped up to a thicker,fluffier consistency and spread onto cakes as frosting, as well" she goes on to say.  "When used this way, the icing will still dry to be quite stiff on the outside, again leaving you with an icing that will hold up well to transport, as well as one that will help trap moisture inside the cake and keep it soft and tender."

     "Most of the time, royal icing is not made with fresh egg whites.  The icing is not cooked and there is a risk of salmonella from using fresh whites unless you start out with whole, pasteurized eggs.  Most of the time, royal icing recipes call for meringue powder.  Meringue powder is a fine white powder made primarily from dried egg whites, with a bit of cornstarch to keep it from clumping while stored.  The powder can be reconstituted easily with a little water and whips up into a nice, fluffy meringue--just like regular egg whites--when beaten at high speed with a mixer.  It has a very long shelf life and is definitely something you'll want to have on your shelf if you're planning on using royal icing on a regular basis."



     Here is the way to make some for your next batch of Christmas cookies:

Basic Royal Icing 

Ingredients

2 Tbsp, meringue powder plus 6 Tbsp warm water

4 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 tsp cream of tartar

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

food coloring as needed

Reconstitute the meringue powder with the warm water in a large bowl.  

Beat, using an electric mixer, until thickened and smooth.

Gradually incorporate confectioners' sugar and cream of tartar until mixture is thick and fluffy.

Beat in vanilla extract.

Divide icing into small bowls and add food coloring until desired colors are reached.