Royal Icing Wedding Cookies: A Step-By-Step Guide

Royal icing is a sweet, hard icing that is perfect for decorating wedding cookies. It dries with a smooth, shiny finish and can be used to create intricate designs. The icing is made with a few simple ingredients, including egg whites, meringue powder, and powdered sugar, and can be customised with food colouring. Royal icing can be used for both flooding and piping, creating a professional-looking finish for your wedding cookies.

Choosing your cookie cutters

Wedding cookies are a fun and creative way to surprise your friends and add a festive flair to your dessert table. When it comes to choosing your cookie cutters, there are a few things you should keep in mind. Firstly, think about the overall design and theme of your wedding. You can choose from a variety of shapes and sizes, such as wedding cake and wedding dress cookie cutters, or go for a more simple and elegant approach with heart-shaped cookies. If you want to get really creative, you can even cut your own stencils using a Silhouette Portrait or Cricut machine. This way, you can truly customise your cookies and make them unique to your special day.

Another thing to consider is the level of detail you want to achieve. If you're a beginner, you might want to opt for more basic shapes that are easier to decorate. On the other hand, if you're feeling more adventurous, you can choose cutters with more intricate details, such as ruffles, roses, or shell borders. Don't be afraid to experiment with different tips and techniques to create the perfect look.

It's also important to keep in mind the size of your cookies. If you're making a large number of cookies, you might want to choose a smaller cutter to save time and icing. Conversely, if you're making a smaller batch, you can go for a larger cutter to make a statement. Ultimately, the size of your cutter will depend on your personal preference and the overall vision for your wedding cookies.

When choosing your cookie cutters, it's a good idea to plan out the different designs you want to create. For example, you can make bridal heart cookies, groom heart cookies, bridal dress cookies, and wedding cake cookies, each with their own unique decorations and colours. This will help you ensure you have all the necessary cutters and supplies before you start baking and decorating.

Lastly, don't be afraid to get creative and think outside the box. You can find cookie cutters in a variety of shapes and themes, so you can truly customise your wedding cookies to match your personality and style. Whether you're going for a traditional or modern look, there are endless possibilities to explore and create something truly special for your big day.

Making the icing

Firstly, gather your ingredients. Most recipes call for egg whites, but some use meringue powder instead. You will also need confectioners' sugar, also known as powdered sugar or icing sugar, and flavourings such as vanilla or lemon extract. Some recipes also include corn syrup, which gives the icing a softer bite. If you want coloured icing, you will need gel food colouring.

Next, prepare your equipment. You will need a stand mixer or a large mixing bowl, a whisk or paddle attachment, and a fine-mesh strainer if you are using powdered sugar.

If using egg whites, separate them and add them to the bowl. Make sure no yolk is mixed in, as this will prevent the whites from whipping up. Fresh eggs are best, and they should be cold for easier separation. If you are concerned about using raw eggs, you can use pasteurised liquid egg whites or meringue powder.

Add your flavourings to the egg whites and whisk on medium-high speed until foamy and doubled in volume, which should take about two minutes. If using meringue powder, add it to the water and whisk until doubled in size.

Sift in your powdered sugar, then mix on low speed until the sugar is completely dissolved and no lumps remain. This should take one to two minutes.

Increase the mixer speed to high and continue mixing. The icing should become completely smooth, glossy, and slightly thickened. This can take four to five minutes. If the icing is too loose, add more powdered sugar, a quarter of a cup at a time.

If you are using liquid food colouring, add a few drops now and mix until the icing is smooth and evenly coloured.

Your icing is now ready to use. If it is too thick, you can add a drop or two of water to thin it out, but be careful not to make it too thin, as this will lead to air bubbles.

When decorating your cookies, you will need two types of icing: piping and flooding. Piping icing should be thick, like toothpaste, and is used to pipe borders. Flooding icing is thinner and pourable and is used to fill in the piped border. To make flooding icing, simply add a few tablespoons of water to your icing, one tablespoon at a time, until you reach the desired consistency.

Royal icing dries out quickly, so cover it when not in use. If you are not using it immediately, press a sheet of plastic wrap directly onto the surface to prevent it from drying out.

Piping techniques

• Piping Tips: Choose the right piping tips for the desired level of detail. For outlining and flooding cookies, Wilton tip #4 is a great basic option. For finer details, use thinner tips like Wilton #1 or #2. Larger tips such as Wilton #3, #4, or #5 are easier to work with and are perfect for beginners.
• Consistency is Key: Achieving the right consistency for your royal icing is crucial. For piping borders, the icing should be thick, similar to toothpaste. For flooding, add a few tablespoons of water to create a pourable consistency similar to honey. Adjust the consistency by adding water or confectioners' sugar gradually.
• Piping Borders: Before flooding the cookies, pipe a thin outline with thicker icing to create a border. This will prevent the icing from sliding off the cookies.
• Flooding Technique: Once the outline is complete, fill the inside of the piped border with the thinner flooding icing. Use a toothpick to pop any air bubbles on the surface.
• Stencilling: Stencilling adds intricate details to your cookies. Place the stencil over the iced cookie and spread a thin layer of medium-consistency icing over it. Remove the stencil carefully, and use a scribe tool to clean up any excess icing.
• Detailing: For adding finer details like dots, lines, or small flowers, use a piping bag with a small round tip. Pipe lines, dots, or swirls to create elegant patterns on the cookies.
• Creating Roses: Pipe roses using stiff consistency icing and a petal tip 101. Start by piping rounds, then add a swirl line on top to create the petals. Allow the roses to dry overnight before attaching them to the cookies.
• Ruffles and Shell Borders: For a dress-like ruffle effect, use a stiff consistency and a decorating tip 59s. Pipe a shell border with a decorating tip 16 for an elegant finish.
• Leaves: Pipe leaves using green stiff consistency icing and a decorating tip 352. Add these to your roses for a natural touch.
• Colouring: To colour your icing, add a few drops of gel food colouring. Remember that gel food colouring is more concentrated, so a little goes a long way. Avoid adding too much liquid food colouring, as it may thin out the icing.
• Preventing Hardening: Royal icing hardens quickly, so keep it covered when not in use. Place a damp paper towel directly on the surface of the icing to prevent it from drying out.
• Storage: Store royal icing in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. Bring it to room temperature and whisk in a few drops of water before using it again.

Colouring the icing

To colour royal icing, you will need to use gel food colouring. You can add a few drops of the gel food colouring to your icing and then add droplets of water to bring it to the right consistency. It is best to use gel food colouring as liquid food colouring may thin out the frosting if you add too much. You can also add a small amount of light corn syrup to your icing to add some shine, but be aware that this may affect how hard the icing sets.

If you are making a large batch of icing, it is best to divide it into smaller bowls and add the colouring to each one individually. This will allow you to create multiple colours without having to mix a large batch of each colour. It is also important to stir the icing well after adding the colouring to ensure that the colour is evenly distributed.

When colouring your icing, it is important to remember that a little goes a long way. You can always add more colouring if needed, but it is difficult to reverse if you add too much. It is also a good idea to let the icing dry before determining if the colour is correct, as it may darken or lighten as it dries.

Once you have achieved the desired colour, you can transfer the icing to piping bags and begin decorating your cookies.

Drying the icing

Once you've decorated your wedding cookies with royal icing, it's important to let them dry completely before serving or stacking them. The drying time can vary depending on the thickness of the icing and the humidity in your kitchen. Here are some tips to ensure your royal icing dries properly:

Drying Time:

Let the cookies sit at room temperature for at least four to eight hours before touching or stacking them. This will allow the icing to harden and set, ensuring that your designs remain intact. If you're in a humid environment, you may need to increase the drying time to ensure the icing doesn't remain tacky.

Accelerating the Drying Process:

If you're in a time crunch or dealing with high humidity, there are a few ways to speed up the drying process:

• Use a fan: Place a fan near your cookies to help accelerate the drying process. Ensure the fan is clean and free of dust to avoid contaminating your cookies.
• Dehydrator: Place your cookies in a dehydrator on the lowest setting for 10-20 minutes to speed up the drying process.
• Thin layers: When applying the royal icing, opt for thinner layers as they will dry faster than thicker ones.
• Refrigeration: If you're layering royal icing, placing the cookies in the refrigerator can help speed up the setting process.

Preventing Icing from Drying Out:

While you want your icing to dry and harden, it's important to prevent it from drying out too much before you've finished decorating. Here are some tips:

• Covering: When you're not working with the icing, cover it with plastic wrap or a damp paper towel to prevent it from drying out.
• Room temperature ingredients: Using room temperature ingredients, such as egg whites and water, can help slow down the drying process, giving you more time to decorate.
• Humidity: Working in a humid environment can also slow down the drying process, so you may want to avoid using a fan or dehumidifier while decorating.

By following these tips, you can ensure that your royal icing dries properly, resulting in beautiful and delicious wedding cookies.

Frequently asked questions