Having a gluten intolerance is hard. Having an egg allergy as well, makes things even harder. Seeing all of the other kids enjoy adorable decorated sugar cookies, and not being able to have one didn’t really sit well with me. That’s why I searched and searched for a way to make gluten free vegan royal icing.
As you know, traditional royal icing is made with egg whites or egg powders. This would not work for us. Instead, I found that bakers used this thing called aquafaba as an egg replacer in royal icing because it gives the consistency of an egg white.
What is Aquafaba?
Aquafaba is simply the brine from cooked beans (typically chickpeas aka garbanzo beans). Since this “brine” mimics the consistency of egg whites, it can be used as the perfect substitute in royal icing. It can be used as an egg replacer in both raw and cooked foods. You can get it from a can, or you can make your own.
But Auquafaba is not limited to just chickpeas. You can also use the brine from lentils, and white cannellini beans. In fact, I now use only the white cannellini beans. I have found that they contribute the most neutral flavor and do not have a funny odor.
In this recipe, I used the brine from the can. I will admit, as much as I am thrilled about this discovery and this method, I am not a huge fan of canned foods. In fact, when I opened a can of chickpeas there seemed to be a bit of a funny smell. This caused me to be very skeptical. This is why I switched to white cannellini beans. They are much more neutral.
Traditional recipes for this vegan royal icing call for water as the additional “liquid”. Because this brine came from a can, I use 1 tablespoon of freshly squeezed lemon instead. This lemon will not only bring flavor to the icing, it can also act as a disinfectant.
One large can yields about 3-4 ounces of brine. If you are making more than one batch, I do not recommend making a double batch and then splitting it. It will be hard to get the right consistency. It would best to make 2 separate batches.
How I made magic
Here is what I used to make this gluten free vegan royal icing:
- 4 1/2 cups of organic powdered sugar
- 3 oz of aquafaba
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 1 tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice
- 1 tbsp water
- food coloring (optional)
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With my stand mixer and whisk attachment, I mixed up the brine, lemon juice, water and vanilla for 5 minutes until it began to foam. I started with a speed of 4 and with two minutes remaining, I increased it to an 8. Next I added the powdered sugar. Before I turned the mixer back on, I placed a long piece of aluminum foil around the bowl to block the powder sugar from flying out of the bowl while it was being mixed. Make sure to occasionally scrape down the bowl several times to include all of the powder sugar.
When the icing is all mixed, check it for consistency. When it falls from the whisk attachment you will want it to melt back into itself within a matter of seconds. If it just piles up and takes longer to melt into itself, you will want to add more liquid 1 tsp at a time. At this point you can use more lemon juice or water, depending on how much lemon zest you want your icing to have but I recommend water. You could also add more vanilla or almond extract. This icing can be anything you want it to be.
Adding a splash of color and style
If you are into decorating, now is the time to divide your icing and add color to each portion. You could also just add one color to the entire batch. If you are using a liquid food coloring like the MrCormick’s add this first before adding additional liquid to thin out your icing.
Once my icing is ready for decorating, I put each color of icing into it’s own disposable icing bag with a very small writing tip attached. To ice the cookies, I begin by outlining the edge of the cookie with a fine line. Then I filled in the rest of the cookie by continuing to outline from the outside in. There are some great youtube videos on how to do this. Unfortunately I do not have my own video made for you yet. This is a method I am still trying to perfect. If you encounter holes or imperfections, you can use your writing tip or a toothpick to fix them carefully while the icing is still wet. If I am layering one color over the other, I will let the first color dry first before adding the second color.
And that’s it! The icing dries very well and the cookies are so amazing.
Why vegan?
In my recent post about why I bake gluten free and mostly vegan, I mentioned that my son is also allergic to eggs, so I have never been able to make icing I can actually decorate with until now. Other bloggers and recipe writers call this aquafaba pure magic, and now I would have to agree. The look on my son’s face said it all. Finally, a decorated cookie he could eat and love.
If you don’t have a recipe for the perfect EASY gluten free sugar cookies, be sure to get mine here.
I hope you have a wonderful time decorating with this icing. Be sure and join us in the Stay Gluten Free Community {it’s FREE to join click here now} to connect with others just like you and post pictures of your cute cookies.
Have you used aquafaba in anything besides icing before? Leave a comment below
Until Next Time!
The post Gluten Free Vegan Royal Icing appeared first on Stayglutenfree.com.
Gluten Free Vegan Royal Icing
Ingredients
- 4 1/2 Cups Powdered Sugar
- 3 Oz Aquafaba The brine from a can of white Cannellini beans
- 1 tbsp Water
- 1 Tbsp Fresh squeezed lemon
- 2 Tsp Vanilla extract
- 1 Long piece Aluminum Foil
Instructions
- In a stand mixer and whisk attachment, mix Aquafaba (bean brine) lemon juice, water and vanilla for 5 minutes until it begins to foam. Start with a speed of 4. After 2.5 minutes increase the speed to an 8.
- Next I add the powdered sugar. Before turning the mixer back on, place a long piece of aluminum foil around the bowl to block the powder sugar from flying out of the bowl while it is being mixed.
- Make sure to occasionally scrape down the bowl several times to include all the powder sugar.
- Check consistency and add more liquid if necessary in the form of water, lemon juice or other flavoring.
- Add food color (**Please note, if your food color is a liquid please add the color before adding any other additional liquid). You may need to also add more powdered sugar to make sure your icing is not too runny.
- Decorate your cookies, let them dry completely and enjoy!
Notes
