This royal icing can be placed in a piping bag to decorate cookies with fine lines or thinned out to flood the surface of cookies. Great for gingerbread and other firm cutout cookies.
In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the egg white and cream of tartar or a few drops of lemon juice, until soft peaks form.
Gradually add the icing sugar, continuing to whisk, over 5 to 10 minutes, until the icing is very thick.
If you want to colour your icing, divide the frosting among several small bowls and add a small amount of gel food colouring and mix well.
Transfer the (coloured) icing(s) into piping bags fitted with small, simple piping tips and decorate your cookies.
Allow to dry at room temperature for a few hours before transferring them to an airtight container.
Notes
If you would prefer to use meringue powder, replace 1 egg white with 15 mL (1 tbsp) meringue powder and 15 mL (1 tbsp) of water. Proceed with the steps of the recipe as written above.