royal icing supose to look like play dough?

I thought it was strange too. Mine came out like marshmallow, thick. Just add water.

Beat a little more if it doesn't thin then add a little water

well my first batch was thick, after i made my second batch it looked like icing, i added my first batch to my mixing bowl and added water, it helped out alot.......I hope this cake turns out good...I'm in the 2nd wilton cake decorating course....lots of hard work!

Stiff royal icing should turn out a like a very stiff pastey consistency. If you add additional water...just add a very tiny bit at a time.

I used merengue powder and tried the Wilton recipe on the can. Mine looked like a bunch of crumbs. I had already added all the water that the recipe called for, but I added about two more tablespoons thinking "I could have miscounted or not measured properly." That didn't help. I had to add 5 more tablespoons of water just to get it to come together. Then I stripped out my mixer because it was so thick! What on earth did I do wrong? I've never royal because of that one experience. I HATE IT!

i keep telling everyone. The amount of water you need to make royal icing is very variable. It never takes exactly the same amount twice. You're best off starting with water and meringue powder. Then gradually beat the sugar in until you get the desired consistency.