I just bought some cookie cutters and I am wanting to make the cookies I have seen on here with the shiny smooth icing. Can someone please help me. I don't know if it is royal icing or color flow icing.
Thanks so much.

I just learned myself!! Here is the icing I used!!
http://www.cakecentral.com/cake_recipe-1983-Royal-Icing-for-Decorated-Cookies.html

I use Antonia74's recipe for Royal Icing that's in the articles section under "How to Bake and Decorate Cookies". I don't know if it could be considered "shiny" though. I think that might be a glaze icing.

I always use Fondant...use same cutter to the cut the FOndant after it's rolled out...the edges are very sharp, and top is very smooth and no need to mix or wait before you can decorate it. To me it's much quicker, and get nice results. Looke at Flour Pot.com that's what they do. Just use a very think icing as glue.

Royal Icing - even the fabulous one posted by Antonia74 - doesn't really dry "shiny." I think the shinier ones are the "glazes"... like the one people have talked about by Toba Garrett or Alice's icing. I've never tried either of them, though.

I've tried Alice's and Antonia's icing. Alice's cookie icing has a better flavor and is shinier than Antonia's, but it doesn't dry like Antonia's. They have different qualities, it depends on if you're looking for flavor or durability. Try both to see which one you like!

I'm new to this too. I use Alice's Icing and love the shiny look you get when it's thinned enough to flow a little. At first, it bothered me that you need to wait 24 hours before you can stack or wrap them, but I decided the flavor , texture and look is so good, that's a sacrifice I'm willing to make. Alice's has butter in it which gives it a better flavor, IMHO. I'm not sure which of the other icings have butter, though. I think they're all searchable in the recipe section.

I have used Toba Garrett's glace icing several times and it gives a nice shiny finish. Just depends on what look you are going for. Good luck with your new cutters!

I've only used the royal icing (now Antonia's recipe) and it's not shiny, but it dries well and is nice to work with. Also, I add some vanilla and almond flavorings to the icing and it tastes pretty good. Honestly, when I eat a decorated cookie, you can't really taste any overwhelming "icing" flavor. The flavors all meld together. I've never been one for decorated sugar cookies, but now I love them.

Good luck!