If you buy something from a link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics statement. The key to making these edible works of art is royal icing, the glossy mix of meringue powder, powdered ...

Royal icing is the go-to stuff for picture-perfect sugar cookies, because it makes a neat, hard and glossy finish that professional bakers and home chefs love. This icing is rich and thick and may ...

I like baking sugar cookies. I like eating sugar cookies. But I don’t really like decorating them. It always starts out as a great adventure — buying enough butter to put every Wisconsin dairy cow ...