Meringue Powder . . . Works for Me Wednesday

Updated for 2020! The meringue powders in this post have been discontinued. The brands I use most often now are Chefmaster and CK. You can find them both on Amazon: Chefmaster and CK. 

Using meringue powder is not the only way to make royal icing, but it's what I use to make mine.

When I first started decorating cookies, I used raw egg whites in my royal icing, but I started getting nervous.  Not nervous for me, but for other people who might eat the cookies.  About 9 years ago, I discovered meringue powder and I haven't looked back.

Does the brand of meringue powder matter?  Yes.  These are 2 of my favorites:

• Williams-Sonoma brand (made by CK)
• Ateco, available at bakery supply shops or Amazon

I also like:

• AmeriColor
• CK

There is another brand that is more widely accessible.  I won't mention the brand here because I think they do a lot of things really well, but I don't love their meringue powder.  Actually, I used it for years before even realizing there WERE other brands.  Once I bought one of the brands above from a bakery supply shop, I immediately tasted a difference and saw a better consistency with my icing.

{That said, if you are experiencing a cookie decorating emergency, you have my blessing to use the other stuff.} ;)

Gail of One Tough Cookie uses powdered egg whites with fantastic results.  She even has a vlog post about it if you want to learn more.

What do YOU use to make royal icing?

{Psst....here is the royal icing recipe I use if you're ready to make some of your own.}