Gingerbread House Icing
The perfect icing for constructing gingerbread houses. Start out with the thick consistency that this recipe creates to glue the house pieces together. After the walls and roof are put together, you can thin the icing out with a bit of water to finish the decorations.
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Servings: 2 cups
Calories: 82kcal
Ingredients
- 3 cups powdered sugar sifted (12 ounces)
- 2 egg whites 2 ounces
- 1/2 tsp cream of tartar (somewhat optional see notes
Instructions
- Combine the sugar, egg whites, and cream of tartar in a large mixing bowl. Stir the ingredients by hand to moisten the powdered sugar.
- Turn the mixer on low and gradually increase the speed to high. Beat on high speed for 4 to 5 minutes until it is smooth and thick. It will start out looking dry and clumpy but it will come together after a minute of mixing.
- It should hold stiff peaks when it is finished mixing.
If the icing looks too thin, add additional powdered sugar a little at a time until it has the right consistency. If it is too thick, add a few drops of water at a time. - Cover the surface of the icing with a layer of plastic wrap until you are ready to use it.
Notes
- Cream of tartar makes the icing more stable and prevents crystallization. It also helps the icing dry a bit quicker and makes the icing appear brighter and whiter. If you omit the cream of tartar, give extra time for the icing to dry on your gingerbread house before you start decorating it.
- Make sure the bowl and beaters are clean and grease-free. Any trace of grease or even a small bit of egg yolk in the icing will weaken the structure and break the icing down.
- The icing will dry out quickly if it is left exposed to air. Keep it covered with plastic wrap and make sure the plastic touches the surface of the icing.
- Use the thick, stiff consistency to act as mortar to glue your gingerbread house pieces together then thin it out a bit to decorate the house.
- You can thin the icing out with water to make icicles that drip off the roof of the house. To thin the icing, stir in just 1/2 teaspoon of water at a time until you get the consistency you want.
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Nutrition
Serving: 1 | Calories: 82kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Sodium: 7mg | Sugar: 20g