Ginger Bread House Glue (Royal Icing)

Sandy Shaffer is an Angel. Sandy makes dozens of Ginger Bread House parts so that everyone can make Ginger Bread houses at church. This is not her “glue’ recipe. We brought our pieces home to put together and needed a little more glue.

Makes enough for 1 decorated Gingerbread House
Prep Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

1 pound sifted confectioners’ sugar or more as needed
1/2 cup pasteurized egg whites (3 large egg whites)
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
Preparation:

Place all ingredients in a large mixing bowl and combine. Scrape down sides. Turn the mixer to high and beat until thick and very white. Mixture will hold a peak. This should take at least 7-10 minutes.

When finished, cover with plastic wrap, making sure it touches the royal icing so a crust doesn’t form. Royal icing dries out quickly, so make sure it is covered all the time. Otherwise there will be lumps in the icing and they will never pass through an icing tip.

I prefer white icing, but you may tint it by using a small amount of paste food color. For 1/4 cup tinted icing, dip the tip of a toothpick into desired color, then into the icing, and stir well. Repeat until desired color is achieved. For strong colors, such as red, royal blue and dark purple, use 1/8 teaspoon color to 1/4 cup icing.