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Cream Cheese Royal Icing Recipe

Cream Cheese Royal Icing Recipe

How to make cream cheese flavored royal icing that dries firm to the touch. Cream cheese royal icing is a great addition to Red Velvet Sugar Cookies (recipe) or Pumpkin Spice Sugar Cookies. Remember - if you're incorporating extra fat, such as real cream cheese, into a recipe, it will affect the hardness. This icing will dry firm to the touch but will not be as hard as a traditional royal icing.

Tips for cream cheese royal icing:

The technique and order in which you add the ingredients matters. Read through the recipe first and follow step-by-step.

It's not as firm as classic royal icing, but will work great for flooding, lines, and decoration. It will be hard to get a star tip to keep its shape with this icing, but with the right approach you can decorate a full cookie.

To soften your cream cheese. Use a brick of full-fat cream cheese, not whipped cream cheese. To soften, unwrap the cheese and place on a microwave safe plate. Microwave on medium for 10 seconds. The cheese should be soft but not melted. Repeat once more if necessary. Do not cook the cheese!

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Filed in: Royal Icing
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Comments

Alex - January 12, 2023

Hello! Can one leave out the cream cheese? Thank you!
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The Cookie Countess replied:
This recipe is specifically made with cream cheese and wouldn’t come out properly if left out. If you’re looking for a cream cheese icing wihtout actual cream cheese, I’d recommend adding some Cream Cheese Emulsion to our regular royal icing recipe.

Dorothy - December 12, 2022

Since this has cream cheese in it, once the cookies are iced with it, do they need to be refrigerated or can they be left out?
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The Cookie Countess replied:
Hi! I recommend keeping the iced cookies in a cool, dry place once finished, but they don’t need to be kept in the fridge unless “room temp” where you live is unusually warm.

Vickie - December 5, 2022

Does the cream cheese royal icing have the same consistency when flooding and detailing as royal icing? When it dries on the cookie does it look like royal icing, smooth?
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The Cookie Countess replied:
If you add the cream cheese as it says so in the recipe, yes -it should act as regular royal icing, just with a softer bite. If used the same day as made it can be used for piping. If saved in the fridge to use the next day, it will absorb moisture and will no longer be great for piping, but would still work for outlining and flooding.

Ty'Isha Terry - December 5, 2022

Second question on the cream cheese royal icing. Is this cream cheese royal icing good to be used for cookie stenciling as well? And can I use this icing on my PYO cookies ? Only concern do is to it being a softer royal icing . Thanks
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The Cookie Countess replied:
If the recipe is followed correctly, it should act the same as regular royal icing! We recommend using it the same day it’s made – storing it in the fridge overnight will keep it fresh, but will allow it to absorb moisture and it wouldn’t be as firm as a typical royal icing would be.

Ty'Isha Terry - December 1, 2022

Question on creamcheese Royal icing I would like to use this recipe on my Christmas sugar cookies but I’m worried on if this icings would I be able to use my stencil with it do the the actual cream cheese that’s in it? Can I still flood and decorate the same?
———
The Cookie Countess replied:
Hi Ty’lsha! It’s not as firm as classic royal icing, but will work great for flooding, lines, and decoration. It will be hard to get a star tip to keep its shape with this icing, but with the right approach you can decorate a full cookie.

Hayley - December 1, 2022

Is it okay to assume this is safe to leave out like normal Royal iced cookies because of the sugar content and the level of dryness it will achieve?
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The Cookie Countess replied:
Yes

Melissa - November 28, 2022

How well does this store? Does this sit well at room temperature? How long?
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The Cookie Countess replied:
Hi Melissa! We have a blog post that goes into detail about how and where to store royal icing, I can’t link it in this response but if you search “Royal Icing Storage Tips and Timeframes” on our site, it should pop up! It will answer all of those questions for you 😊

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