I made easter cookies this weekend and I had the worse time ever! I just wanted to give up! I printed off the article on here about how to bake and decorate cookies, made my royal icing in advance and everything. I get up Saturday moring start rolling out cookie dough and begin my very long journey. My cookies turned out great, but the icing technique was a battle all on it's own. I fluffed up the royal icing a bit, put some in a bag and began to TRY to outline my cookies and I could not even pipe it. So I thinned it out just a tad and then my outline still looked really ugly so i just attempted to flood it in freehand. I don't get the flooding thing either. Am I just that dumb? I think they turned out ok for a beginner. I am going to post them as soon as I can tell let you you all give me some good advice on what I done wrong but until then I have some questions........

1) To outline do you thin it at all and if so how much?

2) Can someone explain the flooding technique in maybe words that I can comprehend?

3) How much do you flood in, mine looked really flat compared to some on here.

4) what's up with those air bubbles when I flood?

Thanks for all your help in advance!!!

Kim,

I am by no means a cookie expert, but I'll give it a shot. Did you use a icing bag with a tip to outline? I have a hard time without a tip, shaky hands. If you used a tip, what size did you use? As for the bubbles, it helps if you keep you icing "buried" in the icing. What I mean is, don't hold the tip above the cookie and let it fall onto the cookie because that is what (I think) causes air bubbles. Hope this will help a little. I think it just takes some practice. I haven't done any since Christmas and the first dozen or so looked awful and then I kinda got in a groove and they looked pretty nice by the time I finished. (Of course I just had to eat the ones that didn't turn out!!HeeHee)

Cindy

keep at it....cindy had some great advice ad I think if you keep trying, you'll pick it up in no time. Good Luck!

Though it feels like I am cheating by not using a pastry bag & tip, I have found that using squeeze bottle to both outline and fill in the cookies works best for me. I also found thru trial and error, the proper thinning level for both the outline and flooding that works for me. With the bottles, I tap them upside down to force the bubbles in the icing up - still end up with a few, but a very pointy toothpick or straight pin standing by to pop bubbles helps.

deb

Thank you very much! You guys really know how to make someone feel better and thanks for the tips!!