1. I've heard some say they don't outline first when using royal to decorate cookies. How does that work?
I'd like to know because, after I outline and fill in with royal, I find that when it dries, you can distinctly see the outline from the fill in icing

2. Has anyone used the packaged royal icing mix from the cake bakeries where you just add water, for decorating cookies? Any difference compared to making from scratch??

Thanks in advance.

This is only secondhand information - I've never done it myself, but at least you'll be bumped up and maybe somebody can correct me if I'm wrong.

From my understanding, you want to add enough water to the royal icing so that a ribbon of icing will disappear in the count of 10, same as filling in with Color Flow. Then just use a tapered spatula to spread the icing to the edges and fill in the middle. The consistency will cause it to self-level.

I have never made royal from the package. Don't see any need to since all it is is powdered sugar, meringue powder and water.