Eggless Royal Icing Recipe

There are countless holiday confections that'll sate a sweet tooth, but few get to claim a truly noble title. Royal icing, a creamy frosting that goes on soft but then hardens to a sweet crust, is a wonderful topping to all of your favorite holiday cookies. Yet with this recipe, developer Deniz Vergara has added a twist: this icing can be made without using eggs. She manages to capture the same wonderful flavor, sweetness, and sheen using corn syrup.

"Removing the eggs simplifies this recipe, so you don't any special equipment like a standing mixer or hand beaters to whip the egg whites," explains Vergara. "In addition, many people have egg allergies, or are hesitant about consuming raw egg whites, so this eliminates those potential situations."

As for where to apply this confection, you've got plenty of opportunities. "I would suggest using this royal icing on butter cookies, sugar cookies, gingerbread cookies, or even an iced oatmeal cookie," explains Vergara. Once you've iced your cookies, can also add in other toppings like sprinkles, small candies, or even differently colored icings. It's somewhat of a "choose-your-own-adventure" cookie topper.

The only thing easier than making this royal icing is shopping for it. This recipe calls for only four ingredients. Make sure you have a bag of powdered sugar and sift 3 cups of it. Then get a carton of the milk of your choice. The key ingredient is the light corn syrup. It helps with the sheen and texture of the icing in place of the egg whites. Finish off with almond, vanilla or lemon extract — this will depend on which flavor you think will complement the cookie you plan to make. Then you're ready to get to mixing.

Whisk together all the ingredients in a large bowl, and keep whisking until you're left with a smooth, creamy mixture. If the icing isn't thick enough, it will drip too much. And that's it — you've made royal icing without eggs! However, Vergara suggests that "you can dye the icing using food coloring" to really customize your experience.

Pour the icing into a piping bag. Vergara uses a Wilton #2 or #5 tip, though you could also just snip a small opening in the bag. 

"To put the tip inside the bottom of the pastry bag, snip the bottom a bit so the tip comes out and then place the bag into a tall sturdy cup," suggests Vergara. "This way, you can use both hands to hold the bowl and use a rubber spatula to scrape the icing out of the bowl and into the supported pastry bag. Do not fill the pastry bag more than halfway. Twist the top of the pastry bag to keep it closed, to keep the icing from backing up over your hand when you squeeze it."

Finally, pipe and spread your icing onto your cookies. You can put it in a pattern, or even just cover your cookie entirely. This point, while the icing is still wet, is where you would add your additional toppings. "The toppings I would suggest are sprinkles or crystallized sugars, as there are so many varieties, and can go with any theme," says Vergara. Once covered, leave the cookies out to let them set. "It takes about 1 hour for this icing to harden completely." At that point, they're ready to serve.