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In a large bowl, combine the powdered sugar, meringue powder, 1 teaspoon cocoa, and
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espresso powder. With mixer running, slowly add the warm water and liqueur.
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Beat on medium-high speed for at least 5 minutes. Because the consistency is slightly thinner
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than normal royal icing, it won’t come to a stiff peak, but should be light and smooth.
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Remove 1 cup of icing and place in a small bowl. Add liqueur (or water, if preferred), 1/2
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teaspoon at a time, until mixture flows from the spoon and blends into the icing in the bowl
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within seconds. It needs to flow, but shouldn’t be watery. (Picture the thickness of molasses or
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corn syrup.) Cover icing with plastic wrap and set aside.
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To the icing in the large bowl, add 4 teaspoons cocoa powder. Beat well, scraping the sides of
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the bowl often. This icing needs to be a little thicker, because you will be outlining the cookies
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with it – about the consistency of canned frosting. If it’s too thick to pipe easily from a bag, add
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a little liqueur (or water) 1/2 teaspoon at a time. If it’s too thin, add a little cocoa powder.
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For best results, the thick darker icing should go into a pastry bag with a small round writing tip.
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This will make it easier to outline your cookie and give you uniform “dots”, which will decorate
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the outside edge of your heart. Alternatively, you can use a disposable pastry bag or freezer-
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type plastic zipper bag. Cut a small piece of the tip off and test by squeezing a small amount out.
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The outline works as a dam to hold in the thinner icing, so the hole needs to be large enough to
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make a sturdy line around the cookie.
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Put the thin mocha icing in a bag and cut the tip off, leaving a large enough hole to let the icing
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flow freely. (Only put as much in the bag as you can handle, to avoid mess. Cover the remaining
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icing in the bowl.)
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With the dark icing, squeeze a line all the way around the edge of a cooled cookie,
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approximately 1/4-inch from the edge, leaving room for decorative dots. (You can do one cookie
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at a time, or do all of the edges at once.)
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With the thin mocha icing, fill in the cookie, using a toothpick to fill in any holes and bring the
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icing all the way to the piped outline. Tap gently to settle the icing.
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Using the thick, dark icing, pipe small dots along the edge of the heart, just outside the outline.
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Allow cookies to dry undisturbed for at least 6 hours.
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Makes 3 1/2 dozen 3-inch hearts!