Royal Icing Recipe

So Bryan and I realized we had never made a gingerbread house before and decided this was the year to start/practice/give it a go. We wanted it to look like our house, but realized after construction we didn't have enough skill graham crackers. I bought gingerbread graham crackers, lots of candy and ingredients for royal icing (the cement that would hold the gingerbread house together). Here is the recipe I ended up using and it worked AWESOME!

8 cups of confectionary sugar
18 tablespoons (or 6 eggs) egg whites
1 teaspoon cream of tartar

1. I blended this concoction with a hand mixer for about 7-10 minutes until it became white, shiny, and stiff.
2. I scooped it into a plastic sandwich bag, removing air, and leaving much room for squeezings and so it wouldnt come out too fast.
3. cut a tiny corner off the sandwich bag for squeezing out of
4. Have a couple wet cloths on hand to cover the tip of the sandwich bag so it doesnt harden in between using. Also cover any leftover icings so it doesnt cement before you can use it

Voila - its done. One batch did the entire house and candy and protective layers. We used four sandwich bags about half full each - to separate and make it easier to handle. You will definitely want to be careful until it cements - but at that point its hard as a rock. :)