Wilton Cookie Icing Help

Baking By gracesmama Updated 17 Dec 2011 , 8:38am by cakeflake80

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gracesmama Posted 21 Oct 2011 , 5:27pm
post #1 of 11

Since it's my first time decorating cookies, I thought I'd take the easy way and use the Wilton Cookie Icing, but I must be doing something wrong. Even without heating it, it just drips right off the cookies, there's no way I can get it to stay on the top! Anyone use it before?

10 replies
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FullHouse Posted 21 Oct 2011 , 5:39pm
post #2 of 11

I'm not sure why it would be so thin without even heating it. At room temperature it is always too thick for me to use, I heat it just a few seconds less than stated on the instructions and it works perfectly. It is a nice quick way to decorate basic designs. I teach Wilton classes and this is what we use in the cookie blossom class, never had any students run into this issue unless they overheat.

Silly question, but are you using the tip to apply the icing or are you removing the entire cap?

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gracesmama Posted 21 Oct 2011 , 6:09pm
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I have the tip on it. I thought maybe it was just a bad bottle so I opened the other one I had and same thing. Maybe I should put them in the fridge for a bit. I did try massaging them in case it was just separated but didn't seem to help much, but it was hard to do without it all squirting out the top since it was so thin. Maybe I'll try that again too. Thanks for your help!

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FullHouse Posted 21 Oct 2011 , 6:16pm
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SHouldn't need refrigeration either. I really have no idea why it is not working. Sorry.

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ZlatkaT Posted 29 Oct 2011 , 10:45am
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I have the feeling you purchased the Decorating gel. It's a little runny, and it will never dry hard. It's mostly for quick decorating and eating right away (mostly kids can decorate with it at parties). You need to purchase Decorating icing, which is like Royal icing, and it will dry hard. This icing will need to heat for a few seconds. What tip are you using? I mostly work wit # 3.2.1. Double check if you have the gel.

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SHAWNEET Posted 1 Nov 2011 , 8:05pm
post #6 of 11

Well, I'm also new to cookie decorating, and I, too, wanted to go the quick route with the Wilton Cookie Icing. I DO have the Cookie ICING, but I'm wanting to know if I can actually pour that icing into a bag and use an actual Wilton tip with that icing? I chose the cookie icing because I thought that it would be less of a hassle and faster for my 9-year-old daughter and myself to do the cookies ... but I feel that I can't really control the way the icing comes out of the tube (not runny, but plastic tip is just in the way, can't really maneuver the bottle, etc.) and I can't get thin, detailed lines. Any suggestions? Can I use this with a tip or should I just do Royal Icing and pitch this cookie icing tube?

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jgifford Posted 1 Nov 2011 , 8:21pm
post #7 of 11

I've used the Wilton cookie icing, too, and I won't use it again. Mine was very runny as well, although it hardened up quickly. It was difficult to get it to stay where it belonged until it dried. But this is not a problem for me - - I am not a cookie person. Eating, yes - - decorating, no.

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SHAWNEET Posted 1 Nov 2011 , 8:31pm
post #8 of 11

I will agree that it hardened up nicely. I let it set overnight. However, it just wasn't what I had expected it to be. I'm experimenting this week with making Hello Kitty sugar cookie pops (HK cookies on a stick) for my daughter's birthday, which is next week. I would really like for them to come out nice, so that she can put one in each favor bag... but the cookies and the icing have both been disasters thus far! I'm trying not to give up but I'm investing a lot of time (and a good little piece of $) into this "experiment-gone-wrong". My daughter is really excited about making the cookies and I think that's what's keeping me going on with it. I think that I may have to just make the Royal Icing (unless I can purchase it already mixed and ready to use) and colors to dye it. I'm wanting my first go with the cookie baking/decorating to be more of a success .... need help fast!

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FullHouse Posted 1 Nov 2011 , 8:33pm
post #9 of 11

While you will never be able to get the same detail with the cookie icing as you will with royal, it does work well for background and should not be running all over unless you've overheated it. I find that I have to heat it less than the time recommended on the bottle in my home microwave or it is too runny (if you overheat, just let it cool down a bit before using and it will thicken).

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LisaMichellesBakery Posted 4 Dec 2011 , 2:13am
post #10 of 11

I am having the same issue with the Wilton Cookie Icing. Bought it thinking it would save me time. Got it home, opened it, never even heated it up. From the moment I opened each bottle, they were runny. None of these bottles sat in the sun or near heat. I'm very disappointed with this product.

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cakeflake80 Posted 17 Dec 2011 , 8:38am
post #11 of 11

A couple years ago, I was a fan of the Wilton cookie icing. I really like the way it tastes and I didn't have a problem with it being runny. To save money, I started making glace icing for my cookies. This past spring, I needed black icing and thought it would be much easier to just buy the Wilton cookie icing in black than make that much black glace icing. It was TERRIBLE!! So incredibly runny...so much so that I didn't even bother to heat it up because I couldn't control it as it was straight from the bottle at room temp! I figured this must be the black...maybe it's thinner because it has a lot of coloring in it?!? Anyways, recently I was running way behind and decided to give the white a shot because I NEVER had a problem with it before. It was also runny. Not nearly as runny as the black, but still not easy to control and it was running off the sides of the cookies (this was straight from the room temp bottle, not heated up). So I've given up on it...maybe they changed the recipe slightly...who knows. I'll only use it if I have a royal icing border and just need to flood inside the border.

Don't give up though!! If you really want to use the pre-made icing, buy the Betty Crocker cookie icing that they sell at the grocery stores in the cake section. Walmart has it too. It comes in pouches with a little plastic tip at the bottom. It tastes great, doesn't need to be heated up, and is never runny. I love it so much that when they sell the black around Halloween and graduation I stock up on as many as I can!! It comes in different colors, but the white can be colored with food coloring (the Wilton icing dries blotchy and spotty if you try to color it). I don't use it in the pouch...I have those little squeeze bottles that they sell in the candy making section at AC moore. I pour it into one of those and use that to apply the icing to the cookies.

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