I have been making Wilton's Royal Icing recipe and I get told that it tastes too sweet, almost "sickly sweet" I follow the recipe to the letter. People still like it, but how do I get it to not be so sweet, if there is a way.

Thanks, In advance to all who reply, as I have to get to work and will look at the reponses later

Well, considering that royal icing is pure sugar (okay, a bit of water and meringue powder) I don't think there's anyway to cut the sweetness! I'm amazed that people you bake for eat it! My decorations done in royal always get picked off and eaten only by the under 10 crowd--they seem to be perfectly content with the pure sugar taste. I find it really doesn't have a taste at all--except sweet. I've been thinking about maybe flavoring it, but then I decided it wasn't worth flavoring something noboday eats anyway.

Flavor it with lemon extract instead of water and it cuts the sweetness.

I will try the lemon extract next batch !!! Thank you

I always add some sort of flavoring to my royal icing, usually 1/4 almond + 1/4tsp of pure vanilla and it tastes yummy and not too sweet but like it is stated, it is 1kg of icing sugar!!!!