easy marbled icing

February 11, 2022/

easy marbled icing is FOOLPROOF – promise!

With Valentine’s Day this Monday I wanted to share a simple, foolproof idea that you can make with or without the kids, and using ingredients readily found in the grocery store – and this easy marbled icing technique is just that!

If you’ve been following me for any length of time you know that this is not the place for learning about royal icing technique. I took a quick look through my archives, and the closest thing I found were these starburst cookies – which I posted 11 years ago.

Indeed, my use of royal icing is mostly limited to the “dip“, “spoon” or “drizzle” variety.

But when I came across this marbled icing technique it looked so easy and foolproof that I had to give it a try.

Fortunately I had a log of this shortbread dough in the freezer and so I was able to get right to it. I wanted to make sure that this would work with the liquid food coloring that you can find in the supermarket, since the gel colors I typically use require a either a trip to the craft store or an online order.

And I’m happy to report that this technique is indeed easy AND foolproof!!

I whipped up my simple royal icing, placed a few drops of food coloring in and swirled with a toothpick. The only “trick” is to swoop the cookie through the surface of the icing (think making a backward “C”) as opposed to dipping it straight in, for the prettiest effect.

How cute, right? And the sturdy nature of the icing and cookies make them a perfect party decor or prop (think photo booths!).

And if you’re not a bake-from-scratch kind of cook, you can toss a tube of refrigerated cookie dough into your cart; this will work on any kind of sturdy cut-out or slice-and-bake you like.

Let me know if you try it, and tag me on Instagram @sherisilver if you do!

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Easy Marbled Icing
1 batch sturdy cut-out sugar or shortbread cookies, cooled (yes, you can roll and cut out shortbread dough!)
2 egg whites at room temperature (did you know you can freeze leftover egg whites?)
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
2 teaspoons water
1 pound confectioner’s sugar
red food coloring

Place the cookies on a wire rack set over a piece of waxed paper, to catch any drips.

Place the egg whites, cream of tartar, water and confectioner’s sugar in a mixing bowl. Using the paddle attachment, beat on low speed till blended, then increase the speed to medium high till the icing runs in thick ribbons when the beater is raised (the consistency should be that of white glue). You can add more sugar if the icing is not stiff enough, or a few drops of water if it is too stiff. Transfer to a small bowl.

Place a few drops of food coloring into the icing and use a toothpick to swirl it through (don’t overdo it, just swirl it enough to blend the coloring into the icing).

Working with one cookie at a time, sweep the cookie through the top of the icing, making a backward “C”. Shake the excess back into the bowl and tap the cookie a few times on the wire rack to level the icing. Repeat with remaining cookies, adding a few more drops of food coloring if needed to restore the marbled effect.

Let cookies set completely before serving.

(print this recipe)

This delicious recipe brought to you by Sheri Silver
https://sherisilver.com/2022/02/11/easy-marbled-icing/

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