I’ve had many questions regarding decorated cookies since I began 7-ish years ago, so I thought I’d share some of my favorite decorating tips I’ve learned over time. By no means am I an expert, but I hope you find my top 10 suggestions helpful.
There are so many ways of decorating cookies; you can cover them with fondant, rainbow sprinkles, delicious melted chocolate… I could go on, but one of my favorite ways is to flood a cookie with royal icing (flood icing). To basically cover the cookie with a smooth, glossy, sugary coating; piped in such a way that your icing becomes a design – instant sugar art! My tips today refer to decorating cookies with flood icing.
I’ve got an in-depth tutorial here, which goes over how to flood in detail.
How to Flood Cookies with Royal Icing – Top 10 Tips
1. Use a good icing recipe. See here for one of my two faves from cake central user Antonia74. Another favourite is from Peggy Porschen’s book Pretty Party Cakes, but won’t post it here due to copyright infringements.
2. One of the most important things I’ve learned about cookie decorating is that if your icing isn’t at the correct consistency or thickness, the experience can be very frustrating. The trick I use to make sure my icing is just right is called the “10 second rule“.
Drag a butter knife through the surface of your royal icing and count to 10. 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. Mix your icing longer or slowly add more sifted icing sugar to thicken.
3. For tip sizes, my favorite tip is #2; it’s great for outlining and filling in. For larger cookies use tip #3 or #4 and for smaller cookies use tip #1.
4. Seal the top end of your piping bag closed with an elastic band for less mess.
5. Practice piping on your work surface or parchment paper before you begin your cookies, so that your hand gets the feel of it. I usually find I need a few minutes of playing around before my piping improves. Decorate your least favorite cookies or extra cookies first; that way if you make a mistake it won’t matter as much!
6. When you’re outlining the cookie, about a centimeter in begin lifting the piping bag away from the cookie, so that the icing just falls onto the surface. You’ll be able to control your piping easier that way.
7. If your hand is shaky, rest your arm on the edge of your work surface while decorating.
8. After you’ve finished applying the icing to the cookie, shake it gently to help settle the bumps if there are any.
9. If you notice any small air bubbles, pop them with a toothpick or pin right away. If you don’t, the air bubble usually pops on it’s own and leaves a hole in your icing. (See acorn which squirrel is holding in the image above).
10. Let your cookies dry for at least 24 hours before you package them. They won’t get stale as the icing acts as a sealant for freshness.
These are just a few of my favorite tips which would have helped alleviate some frustration had I known them when I first began decorating cookies. If you have any tips which you’d like to share you’re welcome to leave a comment below.
Happy cookie decorating!
xo,
Marian
Hi Marian,
Your cookies look fantastic! I’m just getting back into wanting to decorate cakes/cookies and this tutorial popped up. One question, do you let the icing dry in between the flooding coat and the decorating?
Thanks,
Brandi
Hi! I love your site!! My question is if you know why when im decorating details with tip #1 ( sometimes with #2 too ) it seems the icing to get stock, it doesnt comes out, i have to pinch the tip with a needle to let it out but it happens again! Is air inside the pipe? Or why does that happens??
I hope i make myself understood jaja
Thank u very much!!
I have been so inspired by you,your creations are beautiful, I would love to be able to do this. your royal icing recipes do you have a conversion for the recipe in cups please let me know.
Thank you so much
Liz
I decorate cookies with royal icing and fondant. Sometimes my royal icing bleeds into adjacent colors. How can I fix? I do allow at least 12 hours between colors
Hi @ Brandi: I do let the outline dry if I want it to look/be distinct from the flooding. Most of the time, I don’t though… I outline and fill in right away. You can see how I do it in my videos (youtube page or click on videos in the category section above).
Hi @ Laura, yes it’s frustrating! Here is a post for you; http://sweetopia.net/2010/03/how-to-prevent-your-tips-from-clogging-and-what-to-do-if-it-happens-top-10-tips/
Hi @ Emily: Absolutely, here are some posts for you;
http://sweetopia.net/2009/10/how-to-prevent-your-icing-from-bleeding-7-tips/
http://sweetopia.net/2011/07/how-to-avoid-spots-on-icing/
http://sweetopia.net/2012/01/video-how-to-dry-cookies-decorated-with-royal-icing/
What does it mean if you are outlining and your icing keeps breaking. (Meaning I don’t have a continuous line outlining my cookie. Too thick? Too thin?)
Thanks!!
HI @ Jen: It can mean you’re pulling too much, regardless of consistency. Would you be able to share a photo of your piping icing somewhere? (facebook or email?) It can break and curl if it’s too thick but can break if runny as well, if you’re pulling a bit too much.
Hi @ marian: I have never taken any pictures, but I am attempting more cookies for a party this weekend, so I will take some pictures if I have the issue again!! Thanks so much for responding! Excited to try again!
Hi Marian! After I make the royal icing, and before I put any coloring in it, can I store it in a bowl inside the refrigerator overnight and then put coloring in it?
Thank you,
Have fun decorating @ Jen!
Here is a post for you, @ Cris: http://sweetopia.net/2011/01/how-do-you-store-royal-icing-and-how-long-can-you-keep-it/
Thank you, I did read it, however I read it this morning and I kept my royal icing (prepared with meringue powder) in the refrigerator last night, wanted to know if I can use it today for cookie decorating… or if I should make a new one…
It’s fine to use @ Cris. The fridge is fine (and safe), just might add a little moisture to the icing, even if it’s in a container. Just stir well and check the consistency before you use it.
Thank you soooo much for this tutorial! I might be back for more questions, but I’m trying this tonight!
Do you change the thickness of the frosting depending if you are outlining or filling? I am going to try this and will be layering different colored frosting. Any tips for making something like the owl cookie you pictured? How long before I can ice one color on top of another?
Have fun, @ Jeni!
HI @ Kay: Here is a video on how i outline and fill in (no change in thickness); http://sweetopia.net/2012/02/video-how-to-outline-and-flood-cookies-with-royal-icing/
Check my video section for how i find the consistency if you like as well.
Here is the owl cookie tutorial;
http://sweetopia.net/2011/07/how-to-make-decorated-owl-cookies/
Hello. I have been having a mysterious thing happen when my royal icing starts to dry and wanted to see if this has ever happened to you or could give me some advice. After my icing starts to dry it ripples. It goes on nice and smooth and when I think it won’t do it it does. Any thoughts? This has happened every time I have made cookies over the past year but never before this. Cant figure it out.
I absolutely love how royal icing makes decorating cookies easy and I can get clearly defined lines. But I can’t stand the taste. Other than dumping a whole container of extract into my next batch, what can I do to help it taste as good as it looks?
@ kim: Hmm, it could be that you’re moving the cookie before it’s dry, or it could be that somehow just the top is drying really fast, thereby kind of causing a ‘stretching’ reaction. (is there a fan on them or something). I remember someone asking me about this about a year ago, and since it had never happened to me, i wasn’t sure of the answer, so asked on facebook. There were a ton of replies, and you’d think I’d remember, but I don’t, sorry.
If you want to go back through my facebook pages to see, or hopefully it’s one of the first two suggestions.
@ Carmen: Taste is a personal thing, so it’s hard to say, but I like the recipe I use. Another suggestion is to use real lemon juice instead of extracts.
Hi Marian! I am kind of new to Royal Icing (because the last time, icing didn’t dry up on cookies – humid condition). I just like to ask if you had the same consistency (10-count flood icing) used both for piping the outline and for filling? Because in the previous recipes I followed, they used a diff. consistency for each. Is 10-count good enough for both?
Hi @ Jayvee: With my recipe, I use a 10 second count for outlining and filling in. You may want to check out some of my youtube videos where I show how I do it, and show how I find my 10 second icing consistency. xo
@ marian:
Thank you! I tried doing both the sugar cookies and royal icing just this weekend and it came out fantastic! Although the sugar cookies were difficult to handle after a while when I put them outside the fridge. They easily became soft and hard to transfer from the pan it came from to the baking sheet, is that normal? But it might also be because of the weather here(I live in the Philippines – hot weather right now due to upcoming summer). However, I enjoyed the taste of the sugar cookies! And I did the butterfly wing-marbling that you had a picture tutorial about. Thanks, your site is very helpful.
My pleasure, @ Jayvee: That’s wonderful! Yes, if it’s humid where you live it affects the cookies. Here are a few posts for you on that:
http://sweetopia.net/2011/07/how-to-avoid-spots-on-icing/
http://sweetopia.net/2012/01/video-how-to-dry-cookies-decorated-with-royal-icing/
http://sweetopia.net/2009/10/how-to-prevent-your-icing-from-bleeding-7-tips/
I am making a dessert magazine for a class, and one of my pages is how to ice cookies. I was wondering if I could use some of your pictures (with credit of course) to accompany it. Thanks for your help!
I love your owl cookies I am not able to get the owls to look good any ideas.
Hi @ Ali: Absolutely!
@ Barbara: Have you seen this tutorial? http://sweetopia.net/2011/07/how-to-make-decorated-owl-cookies/
How would you like me to credit it? I wasn’t sure if you wanted me to use your name or the blog name.
HI @ Ali:
A link to my site is fine (or sweetopia.net under the pics or something).
Thanks!
I am new to cookie decorating. Yikes, it’s not as easy as I thought! I finally got the flooding consistency right. But now I have cookies with the outline that is bumpy and not consistent! Is there anyway I can save this batch. They are Easter eggs. Thanks!
Hi @ Dale: Sorry, do you mean the icing is bumpy/lumpy?
I am trying to figure out how to take a box of Sees candy and write “Jesuit Prom?” on the center chocolates. My son is using this to ask his Gf to prom. Can I use royal icing on chocolates? Your cookies are amazing by the way! Love this site
Wondering if Michael’s Stores carries royal icing in a writing tube? I have tips home if needed.
@ Terry: That would be a great idea! You could make royal icing transfers and adhere them to the chocolate with royal icing. Here’s a post on making transfers; http://sweetopia.net/2011/01/valentines-love-cupcakes/
If your chocolates are smaller and the letters need to be smaller then, you’ll need to use something different, most likely, as RI transfers are very fragile.
Maybe use fondant/gumpaste cutters, like tappits. ( http://sweetopia.net/2012/08/how-to-use-tappit-cutters-thank-you-nurse-decorated-cookies/ ) or you’ll need to pipe right onto the chocolate.
For the piping, yes I think Michael’s carries royal icing in a writing tube. I’ve never tried them though… not sure how well they work, sorry.
Hope that helps in general!
Hi, I’m decorating hummingbird shaped sugar cookies and then hand-painting details. What is the best way to use multiple colors on a cookie? Is it possible to flood more than one color? I’d like the body to be green and blue, and then there’s the beak with black but I’m getting stuck thinking about how to execute this. Any advice or tutorials?
So that’s my problem! thanks!! I keep playing with the thickness thinking that was it. Now I know I try to outline too fast, pulling the outline as I am doing it. Thank you so much!! @ marian:
HI @ Catherine: It would help for me to see the design you’re going for, if there is a photo/illustration, however, I think you’re asking about flooding several colors beside eachother? You can wait about 15 minutes to let one color set, and then flood another area beside it. If it’s white and a darker color, such as black or white, I’d wait til the one area was completely dry before putting the next color. I’ve done a simple cardinal before, if you’d like to see it here;
http://sweetopia.net/2012/11/simple-cardinal-gingerbread-cookies/
If you haven’t already, I recommend checking out my youtube videos and the cookie tutorial section above. Good luck! xo
Glad I could be of some help, @ karen!
You need to keep the tip of the piping bag inside a damp cloth. It’s probably getting dried out.@ Laura:
Marian, what is a good small basketweave tip to use for a 2 1/2″ or 3″ Easter basket sugar cookie?
I really think this amazing blog , “How to Decorate Cookies with
Royal Icing – Top 10 Tips | Sweetopia”, extremely entertaining
not to mention the post was in fact a very good read.
Many thanks-Vivien