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salted vanilla bean royal icing

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Ingredients

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1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp water, room temperature

1/2 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt (or 1/4 tsp regular table salt)

1/3 cup meringue powder

2 lb. powdered sugar

1–2 tsp vanilla bean paste (or extract)

2–4 Tbsp light corn syrup

white gel food coloring

Instructions

To the mixing bowl, add the salt, meringue powder, and water. Use a wire whisk to combine, making sure there are no lumps of meringue powder in the bowl. The mixture will be frothy on top with liquid on the bottom, kind of like beer.

Add the powdered sugar to the bowl all at once. Attach the bowl to the mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and mix on low to combine into a thick, syrupy icing. Add the vanilla, any other flavorings you are adding, corn syrup, and a squeeze of white gel food coloring. Mix again, raising the speed to medium (four on the Kitchen Aid) for three minutes. The icing will be thick, glossy, and fluffy.

Cover the icing with cling film immediately, touching the surface. You could also cover it with a moist towel draped over the bowl if you’re going to be using it immediately. If you’re making it ahead, store it in an airtight container.

The consistency of the icing will be a toothpaste/piping/detail consistency. Color it and thin it out as needed for decorating.

Notes

  • This recipe makes a big batch of royal icing, enough to decorate about 3 dozen cookies. If you have extra icing, you can store it in an airtight container on the counter for a couple weeks, in the fridge for a month, or in the freeze for a few months. If you need less icing and don’t want to make a big batch, the recipe can be easily halved. If you need more, it can be easily doubled, which is what I used to do every week when decorating cookies for clients.
  • Don’t over mix the icing. Over-mixing causes the icing to not dry properly, and it will have a spongy texture that crumbles off the cookie.

    If you have a dehydrator, popping the cookies in there for a few minutes will help the icing dry with more of a shine.

  • If your icing is warm toned, and you want to tone it, add a squeeze of Americolor lilac and mix to combine. You may have seen the tip floating around online about adding purple gel coloring to icing or buttercream to tone it. Sometimes that ends badly with icing turning a lavender color since it’s tricky to add just the right amount of purple, which can be an intense color depending on which coloring you use. I found that Americolor lilac is a very delicate purple and perfect for toning icing and buttercream without turning it purple at all.
  • Please note that corn syrup is NOT high fructose corn syrup and doesn’t even have the same chemical makeup. Corn syrup is pure glucose. If you don’t want to use it, you could use a teaspoon of vegetable glycerin in the icing to aid in softness. (I haven’t tried it myself, but I’ve heard great things.)
  • Don’t use the whisk attachment in the mixer. It can aerate the icing too much and accidentally cause it to be over-mixed. Instead, use the paddle attachment.
  • Use a dehumidifier if your room has a humidity level of 50% or higher. If you notice your royal icing is drying with a matte or sparkly finish, it could be because of the humidity in your room.

Find it online: https://linenandgray.com/salted-vanilla-bean-royal-icing/