5 Mistakes to Avoid When Icing Cookies (2024)

FAQs

What does overmixed royal icing look like? ›

Undermix, and your royal icing looks translucent and is structurally weak. Overwhip, and you're giving too much volume to the egg proteins via air, causing the structure to weaken in a different way. Overmixed icing usually looks porous when dry, and sometimes will not even fully dry and be soft/brittle.

Outlining-consistency icing should squeeze easily out of a #2 pastry tip, stay in place, and hold its shape on the cookie when it lands. If the icing is too stiff, it will be hard to squeeze. If it is too loose, it will spread a little when it lands on the cookie—this won't help when you start flooding.

The warmth from the cookies will cause the royal icing to melt, cause colored sprinkles to bleed a rainbow of red and green, and make it impossible to create the Pinterest designs of your dreams. Let them sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes so that they can fully chill.

If the icing surface becomes smooth in anywhere between 5-10 seconds, then your icing is ready to use. If it takes longer than approximately 10 seconds, the icing is too thick. Slowly add more water. If your icing surface smoothes over in less than 5-10 seconds, it is too runny.

If you find the icing forms peaks as you pipe or the line breaks a lot during mid squeeze, the consistency is too thick. If the line doesn't hold its shape after it is piped then the icing is too thin.

There's also a new technique going around when preventing craters in a second layer of icing: poke holes in the base flood (under the area you'll cover with a second layer of icing). You can even do this when the first layer flood has completely dried!

The more water you add, the more runny your icing becomes, the less water you add, the firmer it is. Firm textures of icing, like the really stiff straight out of the mixer kind, are typically used for things like flowers, piping thin lines, and piping fine details.

How long does it take for the icing to dry? It takes at least 6 hours for flood consistency royal icing to dry completely, but I always allow the base layer of icing to dry overnight to be on the safe side.

To flood your cookie, first make an outline of the area you want filled in. Firmly squeeze the top of the piping bag and use your other hand to direct the tip, making a starting point by pressing down then lifting the tip up, pulling the icing in the direction you want it to go.

Refrigerators draw moisture, potentially softening the icing and altering the texture. Plus, they can absorb unwanted flavors from nearby foods. Instead, store them in an airtight container at room temperature, away from sunlight and humidity, or individually wrap them for freshness.

Do you use the same icing for flooding in outlining a cookie? ›

For a 1 consistency outline and flood, you use ONE thick flood consistency to both outline and flood the cookie. You use a thicker flood because it is just thin enough to settle quite easily but thick enough that it's not instantly going to fall off the cookie.

Take care not to beat the icing any longer than is needed to turn it crisp white, and to only beat it at high speed at this very thick consistency. Extended beating, especially of looser icing, can pump a lot of air into it, creating tiny (or not so tiny) bubbles that can be difficult to eradicate once incorporated.

The icing will turn light and fluffy like marshmallow fluff if it has enough moisture. Be careful not to add too much water though because it is difficult to make the icing thicker again.

As much as you don't want to overmix your royal icing, you also don't want to undermix or you'll be left with a runny mess. If your sugary spread isn't stiff enough, try adding a little more powdered sugar until it reaches a creamier consistency.

Too much whipping can leave air bubbles in your buttercream frosting. It's a minor problem and won't ruin the flavour or texture, but it may not look as pretty when it comes to decorating. Don't leave your buttercream frosting whipping forever and ever if you don't want air bubbles.

Generally speaking, if you're using less than 5 Tbsp of meringue powder per 2lbs of powdered sugar, you may experience color bleeding. This is because a low meringue powder to powdered sugar ratio can make your icing more prone to color bleeding. You're oversaturating your icing with coloring.