THE FESTIVAL CARNET
Simple Royal Icing for Christmas Biscuits
A pasteurized egg white icing to draw lines, peas and small flats on cooled cookies.
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Royal icing contains egg white, unlike simple sugar-lemon icing. Use pasteurized liquid white suitable for this purpose and respect its storage instructions. The formula below gives a white icing; no dye is required.
Prepare your cookies separately and let them cool completely. For a small decoration kit, a piping bag, a thin piping tip, a bowl and a spoon are enough. Start with strokes and a few peas: it is easier to control small amounts than to cover all cookies with a thick layer.
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The preparation step by step
Check the support
Sets 20 to 25 cookies already cold on a rack. Make sure they don't give off any heat: a frosting on a warm surface liquefies and dries badly.
Sift the sugar
Weigh 200 g of icing sugar and put them in a fine strainer over the bowl. Gently crush the small blocks: they could clog the piping tip.
Measure the white
Measure 35 g pasteurized egg white suitable for use without cooking. Check its date and instructions after opening; does not automatically replace with a raw white.
Add the lemon
Pour 35 g of white and 5 g of lemon over the sugar. First mix with the spoon to avoid scattering a sugar dust in the kitchen.
Work the icing
Whisk at low speed about three minutes, until a white and homogeneous paste is obtained. Do not try to incorporate a lot of air: bubbles would form small holes.
Keep a thick portion
Reserve about half of the icing in a covered bowl. This part is used for contours, lines and peas; it must fall slowly from the whisk.
Adjust the small flats
For the other half, add the water drip by starting with 2 g. Mix and stop when a line on the surface melts in about fifteen seconds. The 8 g is an indicative maximum, not an obligation.
Fill the cornet
Transfers a small amount of thick icing into the pouch or cone. Do a test on baking paper to check that the line comes out without effort or dripping.
Simply decorate
Draw a contour, three peas or a zigzag on the cookies. For a small flat, place a little more fluid icing inside the contour and spread with a spoon, without going beyond the edge.
Let dry flat
Place the cookies without overlaying them in a dry place. Count at least four hours, more for a thick flat. Range only when the surface no longer sticks to the touch.
Conservation. Use the icing prepared the same day, keeping the bowl covered in the refrigerator between uses and respecting the instructions of pasteurized white. Store decorated cookies only after complete drying.
Recipe proposal with quantities and step by step. Times vary depending on the material: follow also the markers of texture and cooking.
The benchmarks for success
Avoid the crusts
Always cover the pending icing. A dried fragment easily mouths a small piping tip.
Content of a simple kit
A thin piping tip and a cornet are enough for these patterns; large carved decorations are not necessary.
Questions Before You Start
Is it the same icing as sugar and lemon?
Nope. This formula uses pasteurized egg white; butterbread sugar-lemon icing is another option.
Can I color the icing?
Yes, with a food coloring intended for this type of preparation, following its dosage. A large amount of liquid would change the consistency.
Why is my decor spread out?
The mixture may be too fluid or the sponge still lukewarm. Use the thick part for the contours and let the cookies cool.
Baking tips for this recipe
- Work the dough just enough to combine the ingredients after adding flour; avoid prolonged kneading.
- Respect the temperature of the butter and the indicated rest. If a cutting paste becomes sticky, cool it before shaping.
- Keep a regular thickness between pieces of the same batch and monitors the edges at the end of cooking. Let cool before garnishing.
Substitutions and variations
To replace a main ingredient, choose another sheet designed with the one you want to use. Changing the proportions of fat, sugar or liquid can change the hold of the dessert.
More treats for your Christmas table
Recipes that share ingredients or the same preparation family.