How to Dip Sugar Cookies in Royal Icing
Learn the easiest method for icing sugar cookies with a smooth, glossy finish. This royal icing dipping technique uses meringue powder and requires no piping—just dip, shake gently, and let the icing settle into a flawless coating.
Servings: 36 servings
Calories: 53kcal
Ingredients
- 4 cups confectioners’ sugar sifted plus more as needed
- 3 tablespoons meringue powder not plain egg white powder
- 9 tablespoons room-temperature water plus more as needed
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract or ½ teaspoon lemon, coconut, or peppermint (optional)
- optional for decorating: gel food coloring I love this food coloring kit
Instructions
- In a large bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, mix the confectioners’ sugar and meringue powder.
- Add the water and an extract (if using), and whip on high speed for 1 to 2 minutes. When lifting the whisk up off the icing, the icing should drizzle down and smooth out within 5–10 seconds. If it’s too thick, add more water, 1 tablespoon at a time. I usually use 10-12 tablespoons for a flooding consistency. Remember, that the longer you whip royal icing, the thicker it becomes. If it's too thin, keeping whipping as it will continue to thicken, or add a bit more confectioners' sugar.
- Iced cookies will dry in about 2-3 hours at room temperature.
For Tinting
- Divide the icing into separate bowls, one for each color. Add dots of food gel into the icing with a toothpick (a little goes a long ways). Stir in it and add additional drops to deepen the color if needed.
Nutrition
Calories: 53kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 0.3g | Sodium: 5mg | Potassium: 4mg | Sugar: 13g | Calcium: 0.4mg | Iron: 0.01mg