Royal Icing - Gingerbread Decorating

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 very 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.

To color icing, use 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.