I am seing a lot of cookies that have detail in them with different colors, with royal icing. The thing is, it doesn't look like the colors are layered on, it looks like they are blended in, but they don't bleed, and stay true to shape. Anyone know how to do this?

Do you have any examples of cookies with the look you are going for? It may help to us to describe how to do it.

Do you mean like this?

If so, you apply the colors wet-on-wet. The second color will sink into the first color. Just be careful about applying a pale color over a darker one, because the paler one won't always look good.

HTH,
Deanna

TooMuchCake, what type of icing do u use for your cookies? I always have the most trouble trying to cover my cookies in royal icing? I absolutely hate it thats why I turn down cookie orders.

Kivia, I use royal icing for mine. What kind of trouble are you having with using royal on your cookies? Maybe I can help?

Deanna

Well, i follow the recipe to a T and the outlining is no problem but when its time to fill in the cookie its a struggle. I try to thin the icing little by little and when i do that the icing does not harden and it runs over the outlining. Maybe i'm using too much water to thin the icing...i don't know. Whats the best recipe to follow. One time i made cookies and i used the Wilton cookie icing, it was a perfect consistency and the icing dried fast and it was shiny...

If the Wilton cookie icing is working the way you want it, it may be the way for you to go. Sounds like when you use the royal, you may either have it too thin so that you can't control it, or whatever you're using to flood with (a bottle or a bag?) has too large an opening in it. I rarely outline any of my cookies unless I need a contrasting color outline. If you thin the icing so that when you drop a spoonful of it back into the bowl and then count 10 seconds, the icing should *just* level back out when you get to 10. Err on the side of too thick rather than too thin.

HTH,
Deanna

I love the Wilton cookie icing but sometimes I can't always run to Michaels here because its far away. So i wanted to try and make my own royal icing. I use a piping bag with a #2 tip...should i use a bottle? I also love to use MMF on my cookies but i don't always have time to make it...its more convenient for me if i just need one solid color but if i have a cookie that requires multiple colors then thats a problem. I'll keep trying though!

I use a parchment bag with a small hole cut in the tip, probably about the size of a 1 or a 2. I think you may be thinning the icing too far. Since I don't use the cookie icing, I don't know what the expiration date on it is like. It might be worth your while to keep some on hand. The royal icing is pretty cheap, though, so keep practicing with it. You'll eventually get the hang of it!

Deanna

Deanna Those cookies are adorable ! On the cupcake did you fill with the lighter brown and then right away added the stripes ? You didnt let the first color set up at all ? Or how did that work ? Thanks. I love the look of the drips on the ice cream also .

Fiddlesticks, thanks, and yes, that's the way I did the stripes. The crosshatching on the ice cream cone is the same way, it just doesn't show up as much. For the drips on the ice cream, I let the first layer of icing set up, then went back and added the drips afterward.


Deanna

Thanks ! Im just wondering how after you fill in the first color then add the second why it doesent make it want to go over the edge. I always fill my cookies to the edge and it seems like that would be just enough to make it drip over ?? What am I missing here ?

It's magic. LOL The second color isn't going to be a big heavy dose of icing, just a little. I'm going to try to attach a cookie bouquet from my website (wish me luck). All these cookies were done that way, wet-on-wet. When you add the second color, use a smaller tip - or cut a smaller hole in your parchment bag, which is what I do - because the second color will widen out. Perhaps that's the missing info for you, that there really isn't much of the second color going on. It just looks that way.

HTH,
Deanna

I love these cookies... makes me want to make some

Thanks Deanna.. Your cookies are lovely .I got it you just add a tiny amount( of the 2nd color) and let it widen ? Is that right !

Yes, and you might want to have a couple extra cookies to practice and see how your icing behaves until you get used to it. Sounds like a good excuse to bake some cookies this weekend, doesn't it?

Deanna

Deanna.. Thanks for all the info ! I have been in the mood to make cookies I guess thats why this thread caught My eye! Right Now Im making apple butter and a few other things So I guess I have to wait a few days ( darn it ). Well maybe I can at least get my dough made up and My R.I so I can be ahead! Thanks again !!

Mmmmmmmmm......... Apple butter..................

Deanna

Thanks, Pat. I usually do a quick outline with the icing I'm using for the flooding, because that keeps the edges smooth, and then quickly fill it in. Smaller shapes or simple shapes, I'll just go from one side the other when I fill them in. I just did a big order of star shapes, and for those, I worked in concentric circles from the outside inwards. Some shapes that are complex will start to crust a bit on the quickie outline if I don't work from the outside in. In other words, keeping the outside of the shape wet so that there are no ridges when the flooding is complete. Did that make sense?

As long as your icing isn't so thin that it overflows your edges (or contrasting border, if you do that), it's all good. If you flood in your cookie - particularly this happens with small areas - and it looks perfect but you check it a couple hours later and it's made a big hole or has sunk down into a valley, your icing is too thin.

You're right about saving a lot of time by doing it this way. I know a lot of people swear by outlining, and this is one of those instances where all roads lead to Rome: If outlining works for ya and you like doing it that way, nothing says you can't. But I do decorated cookies for customers and can't take a lot of time on something I can do as well without it. Just my two cents there.

Deanna

I teach a cookie class monthly at a local charity using royal icing and to save time and make it easy for my students I thin out the RI to a flooding consistency (think colorflow) and put the RI in plastic squeeze bottles (the kind used for chocolate). We then outline and flood the cookie before flocking it with sugar. If you look in my pix I did some mittens cookies using that technique. Just don't outline too close to the edge and you'll be fine. You also won't have that telltale line at the border of your cookie. Hope that helps some!

Hey Bob Those cookies are great ! Love the soft fabric look to them. I would still like to know how you get that tye /dye look though ??
What R.I recipe does everyone use here ? I use Antonia74,s
Thanks

Thank you so much Deanna & Bob.

I'm definitely trying it on my next batch of cookies.

Thks - Pat

Ya right ! I have 3 kids and DIL,S comming from out of town for the weekend . And A family b/day! Im always pooped after these kind of weekends. Plus it takes me 2 days to get my house back to please me ! But hey if you want to share the how to here /pm or email I would be happy to have it LOL!!???

Thanks Bob!