This quick and easy marbled royal icing technique will give your cookies a beautiful finish in less than half the time!
Decorating with royal icing can sometimes be intimidating, especially for beginners, but with this marbled icing technique in your toolbox, you’ll be making beautiful royal icing cookies in no time at all! All you need are a few simple ingredients and materials, a couple of quick steps, and you’ve got yourself some gorgeous, professional-looking cookies.
Why Marbled Royal Icing Cookies?
Royal Icing has a notoriously bad rep and many would say that royal icing cookies are “dry”, “crunchy”, “not tasty” and some might say that working with royal icing is “too difficult”, “confusing”, or “just not fun”. If any of these have been your personal experience, I guarantee this technique will be a game changer.
In fact, this technique is so simple that I have used it in the past with my own children and young nieces/nephews with great success and fun had by all.
Another perk: it’s SO fast! Royal icing decorating can be very time consuming and can sometimes require lots of materials like colors, piping bags, different consistencies of royal icing and so on. This technique only requires a bowl, and your choice of colored icing. That’s it!
So whether you have kids of your own that want to try cookie decorating, you’re a true beginner yourself, or you’re just short on time and materials, this technique is a fun, beginner-friendly way to create perfect royal icing cookies every single time.
What You Need to Make Marbled Royal Icing Cookies
- Sugar Cookies (store bought or homemade)
- Royal Icing (store bought or homemade)
- Food Coloring
- A Shallow Bowl
- A Scribe (or toothpick)
How to Make Marbled Royal Icing Cookies
-Prep your cookies and icing.
Whether you’re making or buying your sugar cookies, make sure you have cookies that are fully baked and have a stiff crumb. Soft baked cookies are not sturdy enough for this technique. If you’re worried your cookies may be too soft, try sticking them in the freezer for 10-20 minutes prior to dipping! Whether you’re making your own royal icing or using pre-made icing, make sure your icing is flood consistency. This means that if you drag a toothpick through the icing, it will take roughly 8-10 seconds for the icing to come back together smooth and level. This icing is very runny and perfect for dipping. If your icing is too thick, stir in a tsp of water at a time until you achieve the right consistency.
-Color your icing.
There are two ways to go about this step and I’ve used both with equally great results.
Option 1: Color your icing as desired and place them into piping bags. Place your main color in a shallow bowl. Then drizzle your other colors in random, zig-zag patterns. You can then take a toothpick and drag it through the icing to swirl the colors a bit more. Be careful not to over mix, though. Too much swirling can cause the colors to start to blend together. I often use this method when I have leftover icing already bagged up and don’t want to throw it away. It’s easy to just dump it in a bowl, dip, and go!
Option 2: Place your main color into a shallow bowl. Drip 1-2 drops of food color onto the icing. Then use a toothpick to gently swirl the colors. Again, be careful not to over mix. This method is easier if you don’t already have the icing colored. Be advised, this method results in much brighter colors than what’s pictured. The picture below was created using option 1. the colors are much more muted and pastel. Dripping the coloring directly into the bowl will create bright colors that are much less diluted. So go very light on the food coloring if using the second method.
-Dip your cookies.
This is the fun part! Holding your cookie on the sides, place it face down directly on top of the icing. Give it a gentle tap to make sure the front is fully coated with icing. Be careful not to dunk the cookie under. The icing shouldn’t go up the sides of the cookie, only the front. Grabbing the cookie carefully on the sides, lift it straight up out of the icing, still face down. Gently shake the cookie side to side a bit to allow any excess icing to drip off. Then flip the cookie over and allow to dry. Repeat this process with each cookie. Note: Depending on the number of cookies, you may need to stop periodically to add more color to the icing.
-Serve or Store
The cookies can be served right away if desired-no need to wait on them to dry! However, the cookies cannot be stacked or stored until dry. Royal icing cookies take from 12-24 hours to completely dry. Once dry, cookies can be served or stored in an airtight container. Most homemade sugar cookies will last from 2-3 days at room temperature. They can also be stored in the freezer in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Check your cookie and royal icing recipes for more accurate storage advice.
This technique is fun, beginner-friendly, and easily lends itself to any party theme, holiday, or event. Happy decorating!
