Who is this guide for?

In the era of social media (and especially Instagram), decorating with Royal Icing is becoming more and more popular. This is particularly noticeable before Christmas, when we are actually bombarded with commercials and photos full of colorful gingerbread men, edible ornaments or gingerbread houses, all richly decorated with icing and sprinkles. At a time like this, you buy ready-to-use decorating sets (available in convenience stores or shops like Ikea) and start to decorate. Outcomes are, usually, far from expected – yes, your children have fun, but your cookies still do not resemble what you can see on Instagram. Therefore, many people start searching online for YT tutorials or take part in training courses for amateurs. Unfortunately, Royal Icing is a specific medium that can cause problems both beginners as well as more advanced users - from choice of ingredients by proper mixing, up to air bubbles, drying or color bleed.

You will find here tips and examples to help you:

  • Choose suitable ingredients and tools.
  • Prepare the right basic consistency of RI.
  • Use basic techniques such as flooding, wet-on-wet etc.
  • Avoid most common issues like air bubbles, spots, color bleed or problems with drying.

Why is Royal Icing worth to try?

Because it allows you to create interesting and realistic motifs on cookies. This medium dries rock hard, so once it’s set, it won't smear or run: this makes it ideal for decorating cookies that need to last through the season on the Christmas tree or that need to travel (especially if properly packaged). You can eat icing, of course, but most cookies that are heavily decorated with RI tend to be treasured as ornaments or for display rather than eaten. They are a perfect gift throughout the whole year - whether for birthdays, Halloween parties or Easter tables, both for young and adult ones.

A plate of appetizers made with RI

Note:

This is not an in-depth explanation of all things related to decorating with Royal Icing. This guide is meant to give you a big picture of this medium with links that allow you to dive deeper into the subject or give you an inspiration for your creations. Don't get discouraged if your initial results are not as expected and don't resemble the ideal pictures or movies from Facebook, Instagram and Co. First of all bear in mind that Royal Icing takes time and practice to master. What's more, the social media content is usually carefully selected (filters applied, best angle and lighting, setting that perfectly matches the theme of the cookie etc.) and disregards the "messy" aspects of decorating process. Think of it more as a source of inspiration, not as a point of comparison.