Ingredients:

  • 4 cups Confectioners' Sugar, sifted (or 480 g Icing Sugar, sifted)
  • 3 Tbsp Meringue Powder (or 24 g Meringue Powder)
  • 6–8 Tbsp Tepid Water, divided (or 90–120 ml Tepid Water)
  • 1 tsp Clear Vanilla Extract (or 5 ml Clear Vanilla Extract)
  • Optional: Gel food colouring

Instructions:

  1. Sift the confectioners’ sugar into the bowl of your stand mixer. Add the meringue powder and whisk them together by hand briefly until combined.
  2. Add 6 tablespoons (90 ml) of the tepid water and the vanilla extract directly to the dry mix.
  3. Start the mixer on the lowest speed for 30 seconds to incorporate the ingredients without creating a sugar cloud.
  4. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat for 5–7 minutes. The icing should dramatically increase in volume, turn brilliant white, and form stiff peaks that hold their shape. This is the Stiff Icing (Piping Consistency).
  5. Adjust Consistency: If the icing appears too stiff or crumbly, add the remaining water (or a few drops more) one teaspoon at a time until it is smooth and spreadable, but holds a clean line when piped.
  6. Colouring: Divide the stiff icing into separate bowls for desired colours. Use only concentrated gel or paste food colouring, mixing thoroughly until the colour is uniform.
  7. Create Flooding Consistency: To thin one portion of the coloured icing, add water a few drops at a time, stirring gently but thoroughly after each addition.
  8. Perform the 10-Second Test: Stir the thinned icing to create a small furrow. Count how long it takes for the surface to completely smooth out. The goal is 8 to 12 seconds. If it takes longer, add more water; if it disappears instantly, add a teaspoon of the stiff icing to thicken it.
  9. Load Piping Bags: Load the stiff (outline) icing into piping bags fitted with small tips. Load the thinner (flooding) icing into separate piping bags or squeeze bottles.
  10. Outline and Flood: Pipe a border onto the cookie using the stiff icing (the dam). Let the outline dry for 10 minutes, then fill the outlined area with the thinner flooding icing. Use a toothpick to gently push the icing to the edges and pop any air bubbles.
  11. Dry: Allow the decorated cookies to dry completely on a flat surface, ideally for 6–8 hours or overnight, until the icing is rock hard and non-tacky.