Hi - What an amazing site this is! I'm so glad someone told me about it- there is so much info. I have a few cookie questions. Recently, I made some cookies and decorated them with royal icing using the outline/flood method, but I didn't like that there was a "seam" around the edge of the cookie. Is that always going to happen with this method, or am I just sloppy, or did I do something wrong? Do I need to dip the face of the cookies into the icing to avoid the "seam" (for lack of a better word)? (the cookies were 3-tiered wedding cake cutouts, all in white royal icing). Question 2 - after reading a bunch of posts, I was wondering what is RBC? Is that rolled butter cream? If so, I just don't get how you can roll buttercream!! Please enlighten me - I'm feeling dumb!

Thanks so much,
Laura

I outline, then flood, with Toba's glaze. It's in the recipes section...just powdered sugar, milk or water, and corn syrup. If you flood right after you outline, you won't get that seam. And yes, RBC is rolled buttercream. I believe you can find that in the recipes, too. I've never used it, but I think it's buttercream with additional powdered sugar to make it a dough. Many decorators also use marshmallow fondant (MMF) to coer their cookies. Check in the "search" window, and you'll find lots of information for this! Good luck.

I think I'm in the minority, but I don't outline and flood. I just spread glaze on the cookie with a spatula. I have a little tutorial on my site that shows how I do it. It takes a bit of practice, and then I think it's lots faster than outlining and flooding.

http://www.karenscookies.net/shop/decorating-techniques-glazing/info_24.html

Thanks Karen - that does look easier. Flooding all the cookies took forever. Do you use Toba's glace (I've seen that all over the forum, haven't tried it yet myself, but will).

I don't use Toba's Glace. I have tried it and it's good, but I wanted a recipe that would work as both the glaze and the piping. I use Meringue Powder Buttercream. The recipe is here:

http://www.karenscookies.net/shop/recipes/info_11.html#recipe09

It's basically a super-crusting buttercream. It's like a cross between royal icing and buttercream (has both shortening and meringue powder in it). It dries well enough to stack, package and handle, but tastes closer to a buttercream than royal. It doesn't dry quite as crunchy as royal. I use the same frosting for just about everything. Thin it down for a glaze, and use it straight for anything from simple piping to shell borders. It works great.

Thank you! I will definitely give it a try.

Karen - That sounds like a great icing. Royal is ok, great for decorating, but this sounds like ti would taste better. I love my cookies to look pretty, but I want them to taste great, too. I'm going to try your recipe next time. Thanks, Laura

Karen - That sounds like a great icing. Royal is ok, great for decorating, but this sounds like it would taste better. I love my cookies to look pretty, but I want them to taste great, too. I'm going to try your recipe next time. Thanks, Laura

Karen - thanks for the tips and the recipe -- I have been to your site several times but never have checked out the recipe section. I will try you MBC soon - it sounds really good. I have question concerning RI -- how thick should it be when you pipe with it or make designs on the icing on the cookie? Should you have to force it out of the bag or should it stream out of the bag without any pressure at all? When the RI finishes mixing it is really thick, but I've been thinning it down to use - but I've noticed that my RI trim and decorations crack sometimes after drying and wondering if I thinned it too much.

(In case Karen isn't around)...
The best tip I read for flooding consistency was to add water until a spoonful of icing takes 10 seconds to disappear. Any less and it will run off the cookie, and more and it won't flood. For finishing details after the first coat has dried, you want it thick enough to hold it's shape, but not so thick that you have to force it out of the bag.
Hope that helps, Natalie.