Royal Icing

 5 Tablespoons meringue powder

3/4 cups very warm water

1 teaspoon cream of tartar

2 1/4 pounds of powdered sugar (1 weight it-2 lbs. 4 oz. or 36 oz)

2 teaspoons almond (or vanilla) extract (oil-free/alcohol-free) get coloring (AmeriColor brand if possible)

Directions:

1. Make sure all of your tools are grease-free and completely dry. Measure out your powdered sugar, so you're ready to add it to the warm meringue/cream of tartar mixture.
2. In your stand mixer bowl, (bowl off of the stand for this step) hand whisk together 5 T of meringue powder and 3/4 C. warm water, until foamy. Add 1 t. cream of tartar and whisk again by hand. 
3. Plance bowl onto the stand mixer and attach paddle. add all of the powdered sugar at once. Using your paddle attachment on the lowest setting, mix of 9 minutes. At 9 minutes, scrape down the bowl and paddle and add your flavorings and mix for one more minute. 
4. Icing will be very thick! But now is the time to divide and color. Add gel coloring slowly -- color is intense! Americolor comes out in drops, add a couple at a time until you build to the color you want. Wilton Gels to come in a pot, so yes toothpick to scoop up some color and drag the toothpick through your portion of icing. Throw that toothpick away as you don't what ticing back in your color container. When color is what you want add water to thin to desired consistency. proceed slowly- increments between stirrings. Consistency changes quickly! I do all of my cookies using one consistency of icing. I use the 6-second test. pull your spoon/spatula across the batch of icing you're stirring, and the spoon's trail should "disappear" by the time you count 6 seconds. 
5. drop a coupler "throat" into the tip of your icing bag. Snip off the tip of the bag just even with the smallest end of the coupler. Place silver #1.5 or #2 tip over the throat and the plastic icing bag. screw the "collar" on over the silver tip. 
6. I get all of my tips and couplers in the piping bags and ready to go. Place icings into plastic wrap "bullets" and place them into the bags. Cut off the tip and screw the tip and guard into place. uncuff the top of your bag, and put a twist tie, rubber band, or an Idea "clip" on the end. 
7. spend a little time playing with the bags now -- practicing holding your bag in one hand and just kind of pressing with your index finger on your opposite hand to get the icing to flow.
8. Outline the cookie first, or the area, that's to be one color. Then go back in and "flood". This means to squeeze a little harder and scribble back and forth to fill in your area. I usually lift the cookie 1/4" off the counter and gently drop it a couple of times to smooth out the icing or pop any bubbles.