IMPORTANT NOTE BEFORE YOU BEGIN: Your bowl and all utensils must be clean and grease free in order for the icing to whip properly.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment or in a large bowl (you will need an electric hand mixer) combine sugar, meringue powder, and water. Beat on low speed until combined, then add vanilla extract (or other flavoring).

Gradually increase mixer speed to high and beat until icing forms stiff peaks (5 minutes or longer).

Divide and color icing as desired (I like to use gel food coloring).

Icing at this consistency can be used as a stiff outlining icing. To thin the icing for flooding/filling, tint as desired first (so that your outlining and flooding icing is the same tint), divide (so you have one bowl of outlining and one bowl of flooding icing), and then stir your bowl of flooding icing, adding about a teaspoon of water at a time until frosting reaches desired consistency. For me this usually means that if I pull my spoon out of the royal icing, the icing that drizzles off holds its shape for several seconds before dissolving back into a puddle.

To Decorate Cookies: First pipe your outlines with your outlining frosting, then fill with your flooding icing. Use the point of a toothpick to swirl/smooth the icing until it is smooth and even.

Allow cookies to dry completely before stacking/transporting, this will take several hours. I like to let mine dry overnight to ensure they are dried all the way through.