I have been trying to teach myself how to decorate sugar cookies like you wonderful cookie makers but I seem to be having some issues, lol

The no fail cookies I have mastered .. I make them about 1/4 inch thick, they cook up great and are sturdy enough for me to decorate.

I have tried three icings:

Alice's Cookie Icing

Royal Icing for Decorated Cookies (antonias icing )

Toba Garrets Glace


I have read the the tutorial on this site as well as other sites. I am having issues with the outline/flow part of decorating. How thick do you make your outline? how thin is your fill in flow? how thick is the icing on top of your cookie?

I also have some problems with the fill icing flowing over the outline and over the side of the cookie .. if i dont put a lot of icing, it dries weird, some parts of the icing are more translucent..

Also, in the tutorial on this site, it refers to the advanced technique of-

- I cant get this to work either .. the thinner icing just slides right off the side of the cookies

I outline with a pastry bag and a 3# tip .. to fill, I have been using bottles becasue i tried a pastry bag and the icing came out of the tip nonstop..



Perhaps these are basic questions, but I really need some help!

Thanks !

Hi Frohdi,

Welcome to CC!

It sounds like your icing is too thin. I always use the royal icing recipe that Antonia posted. I don't always outline, but when I do, I use the "10-count" rule (10 counts until the icing drizzled into bowl with a spoon "melts" back into the bowl). For filling in (flooding) I use about a "5-count" consistency.

I hope that helps!

Ok, I use Antonioa's icing - she says when a ribbon of icing dissappears back into itself in 10 seconds you are ready. I find that I put at least 1/2c of water thinning it. But I do it 2 Tablespoons at a time from the begining. That is about where my icing is.
I started out outlining and then stopped - it made it harder. Now I start of the outside of the cookie and work my way in and then with a disposable icing bag with a hole (smalled than a pencil) I just fill in - I use the tip bag end to help smooth. The icing does most of the work. I'd guess the icing is 1/6 to 1/8 thick. But you will only know that when you break (bite) the cookie.

hmm, so my thinner icing might be too thin? I am going to try again tonight I think.

I also noticed in teh gallery that some cookies are clearly outlined and then the center filled part sort of pillows up .. like a little dome ...

if i skip the outlining part .. the basic idea is that i take the thinned icing, draw the outline and fill right away?

You've got it - but I use my 10 count icing to do it all.

I have success!

I managed to make the icing and flood my cookies appropriately .. I am letting them set so I can try my hand with writing on them. What size tip do you use to write on the cookies?

Also, when I did the flooding, I used a plastic bottle that I got from walmart .. but the icing seeped out, I guess from the pressure of my squeezing, around the rim ..

I want to try the bottle that you can attach the metal tips to, but are they sturdier? Are they worth it?

Thanks!

Hi Frohdi, great to hear you are having success with the icing. I know it took me a while to get the hang of the consistency but when you get it, it works like a charm. I use the bottles from Michael's and I like to use the large size because it is easier to fill them (don't need a funnel) and it holds more. For more intricate piping like outlining on the top of the flooded area or for writing I use a #1 tip. Hope this helps and welcome to CC and your new addiciton!

what consistency do you use to write with? the outline consistency or the 10 count flood consistency?

Sorry to sound vague but it is somewhere between the outline and the flooding. You don't want it too stiff or you will have a hard time making smooth writing and you don't want it to loose either. For my experience it has been trial and error because there are so many variables in cake/cookie decorating such as humidity, how hot or cold your kitchen is, the products you use, etc. For writing try to get something inbetween the outline and the flood probably closer to the flood icing. Hope this helps! Best of luck

I just worked with colorflow icing last night, I don't know if it's the same exact icing you're using, but my instuctor gave a great tip on using the parchment bags. Fold the tip up before filling with icing, then when ready, unfold and squeeze where you want it. Obviously when done, fold back up.

Don't give up on parchment.

I do the 10 count for the outline and the filling too. I use the my icing tip to help push around the royal icing, and then shake the cookie a little to get it flat.

Good luck on your next try and be sure to post pictures! We'd all love to see how they turn out!

Hey Frohdi, I know most of your questions have been answered, but I'd thought I share one last thing, I've learned...

I don't use any tip bigger than a #3, when decorating the cookies. It's really too big and on a small cookie, I think it looks weird.

Oh, one more thing.....I too use the bottles for all my flooding. It's MUCH easier and faster. The tip is a good size too. I've also stored by icing (still in the bottles-at Flow consistency). Shaked it, and used it.

If you have any other questions feel free to PM me, be happy to help.

We'd all love to see your lovely cookies too!

Great info everyone as today I am trying my first cookie bouquet lol. I have my no fail cookie down cooling in the fridge and will bake them shortly. I havnt decided on how to make the icing yet as I dont have any merinque powder and my store is too far away. I also dont have any squeeze bottles lol but will give it a try afterall if you dont try you wont know if you can succeed wish me luck and I will let you know how I do. I am doing heart shapes and placing them in a mug with heats on it.

I havent gotten around to figuring out how to post a picture, but here is a lnk to the cookies I just made.

I made simple shapes and flooded them with the intent of writing message on the cookies.

My writing isnt that great, I have a shaky hand and all the soda I was drinking didn't help things .. but for practice cookies, I am satisfied that I can do better next time.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v83/Frohdi/224_24691.jpg

Frohdi.....they look great! Your flooding turned out really nice.

Are they a sugar cookie?

yes chocolate no fails with antonias icing .. first time trying chocolate no fails as well

I just ate the ones where I crushed the icing when moving them around, lol .. they are pretty tasty!

I think I need to be a tad thinner next time with the flood .. but I was paranoid that it would be too thin...

practice makes perfect!

Great job on the cookies! I haven't attempted them yet, but would like to soon!

Great job! You'll get better and better everytime you do this. It really is all about the icing consistancy. Oh, and I agree, the plastic bottles are a LIFE saver. It made decorating cookies from a nightmare to a joy - at least for me.

I am thinking of buying the bottles where I can use a tip .. I had icing oozing out of the piping bag .. lol .. it oozed out of the top and around the coupler ..


I used a disposable and rubberbanded the top shut, worked much better .. but the bottle will be better i think .. does anyone have a suggestion on where I can buy the bottles - onlline or in a store?

Okay, so I made a 1/2 batch of No Fails and I already had royal icing made that I used. Not a fan of the royal icing, too sweet for me. Not a bad experience though making the cookies. I did the one step outline & fill and found it pretty easy. I think that the next time I make the cookies I am going to try almond extract as well as lemon. I prefer almond but didn't have any and my hubby loves lemon flavored sugar cookies. I will probably do decorators icing to decorate too. I am putting a photo of the cookies in my photos soon.

Any other suggestions on icings for cookies that you can use the outline/flooding method?

I had the same problems with the parchment bags, icing oozing out the top. If I only filled it halfway, I would run out of icing too soon, and it was a COMPLETE mess to try and refill the bag. Also, when you cut the tip for your opening it was never perfectly round, but with a slight point on each end of the circle from cutting.

I bought my bottles from www.sugarcraft.com. I got the big and the small bottles. The big are great for outline and filling, and the small are good for adding details later, especially when you don't need a lot of one color. Remember when filling to either use a funnel, or hold your icing up high so it can drizzle into the bottle. Really stiff royal icing needs to be put in using a spatula.

Can anyone tell me where to buy meringue powder? I checked at my local grocers and they don't have it nor does Michaels....

jackie,

I have bought it in Michales, ACMoore, Rag shop ... anywhere they sell Wilton items..

Frohdi you are a life-saver!! I have a Wilton distibuter near my home and for some reason, I never thought to look there...duh!! Thanks!

Not sure which bottle you are talking about but I use the mustard and tomatoe sauce squeeze bottle, add the tip size that I need over the bottles tip and tape it down. it really works very well.