- 1). Sift all the contents of your 2LB. bag of powdered sugar into a bowl.
This step is optional, but I found that it helps in not letting the icing be clumpy. - 2). In your Kitchen Aid or with your hand mixer (if with a hand mixer, try to use a bowl without a edge on the inside of the bowl because your shorting will get stuck in it and will not mix properly) measure 8 oz. of Crisco or vegetable shorting and drop into your bowl, cream it with your mixer until it is on the sides of the bowl
(about 30-40 seconds). - 3). Get a 1 cup measurement and fill it with water-Cold water, because warm water or hot water will melt the shorting and that would ruin your entire batch of icing, place this cup to the side of your bowl ready for use.
- 4). FOR A KITCHEN AID: turn on your kitchen Aid to the lowest setting and gently pour small amounts of your sifted powdered sugar in stopping every few seconds to let it mix, once all the powdered sugar is in the mixing bowl, bring up the speed to the third speed, and add very small amounts of water to the mix and if you are adding a flavor now would be the time to add it. mix water into the mix until it is at the consistency you like it (it might take more than a cup of cold water, depending on what you are doing, for instance to "mask" or ice a cake for decorating the icing might have to be a little thicker taking less water than say if you were icing cupcakes where you would want the icing to be light and fluffy, which would take more water.)
- 5). FOR A HAND MIXER: pour half the sifted powdered sugar into your bowl with shortening and on the lowest setting mix it in with the shortening, using a spatula, scrape the sides to get all the shortening to mix and then pour the rest of the powdered sugar in the bowl and mix on the same setting. Now add a very small amount of water to your mix and your flavoring until you get to the consistency you want raising the speed of the mixer to help you mix the icing because it should be getting thick.(it might take more than a cup of COLD water, depending on what you are doing, for instance to "mask" or ice a cake for decorating the icing might have to be a little thicker taking less water than say if you were icing cupcakes where you would want the icing to be light and fluffy, which would take more water.) Thats all there is to it, the perfect icing.
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