Royal Icing

cookiejar · #1 03-23-2006, 09:30 PM

Hi! I decorate a lot of cookies with royal icing but get inconsistent results with the finish on the cookies once they are dried. Sometimes they have a beautiful sheen, other times they dry to a matte finish. I adjusted the amount of liquid used, the temp. of the water used, and how long I beat the icing but I still can't figure out what makes the difference. Does anyone out there know how I can get a shiney royal icing?

momoreg · #2 03-24-2006, 05:29 AM

Are you using colors? Some colors affect the sheen.

cakerookie · #3 03-24-2006, 04:19 PM

Humidity can also play a role in royal icing I think...

cookiejar · #4 03-24-2006, 06:17 PM

I do use colors but I'm not sure that's the problem for instance, one time the red will have a sheen and the next time it won't. My standard recipe called for beating it for a very long time but when I watch shows on TV, the people seem to mix it just until they get the desired consistency so I tried that--but I didn't see a big difference. We don't have a lot of humidity here in Phoenix (dry heat, don't ya know) so I'm not sure that's the issue. I had a recipe once for a cookie icing that was very similar to royal but had a little bit of corn syrup. That was nice but then my colors tended to run together. I don't really mind the dull cookies, it's just that the glossy ones were nicer. It's so frustrating when you know it's gotta be something simple.

momoreg · #5 03-24-2006, 08:51 PM

How are you making the icing? The best, most foolproof way is with royal icing mix, or 10x with dried egg whites and water. Beat with a paddle for a few minutes until fluffy and white. When you want a thin consistency, add just enough liquid so that the shape doesn't hold itself-- no more than that. I've found that too much liquid or color will have that dulling effect. Especially blacks and reds.

cookiejar · #6 03-24-2006, 09:07 PM

That's basically what I do, except my recipe calls for a very small amount of cream of tartar. The recipe is: 1 lb of powdered sugar, 3 tbs of meringue powder, 3 1/2 oz warm water, 1/2 tsp cream of tartar. I see that my meringue powder has other ingredients such as corn starch, gum arabic,locust bean....I wonder if I'd be better off just using dried egg white. What is you recipe?

cookiejar · #7 03-24-2006, 09:20 PM

In checking out "similar threads" I saw that I'm not the only one looking for glossy royal...what a relief to know I'm not the only one. It sounds like egg whites produce glossier icing but the samonella thing is a concern. Do you think using the liquid egg whites they sell in grocery stores would work? I think they might be pasteurized.