I am SO at my wits end with cookie icing bleeding. Like 6-8 months ago for the first time I had a HUGE problem with bleeding/feathering of colors on decorated cookies. It was humid, I didn't know if that caused it or what. I posted here and was told to let the icing dry 24+ hours between colors when using Antonia's. Well I haven't had anything come out wrong since then. I have an important order this week and it's a little humid so as a precaution the air has been on all week straight, the house is freezing. Well they're clowns, I did the faces on MONDAY, the hats and shirts on WEDNESDAY and did hair and decorations yesterday. I still haven't done the faces yet because I'm petrified they're gonna bleed. Especially since they will be dark colors put on the white faces. The cookies are due tomorrow, so I was gonna do them tonight. Well, I wake up this morning, and the shirt color bled overnight into the face area. I'm SO beyond mad! That color was put next to the other one 36 hours later, and now 2 days later it's bleeding. And they've been in front of air conditioning the entire time. The icing must be pulling moisture from the cookie or something because there is NO moisture in this house. This is so BEYOND frustrating. There's no way I can let them sit LONGER or these things are gonna go stale! Especially with a cookie that has 6 colors on it, waiting even longer would not be a time effective option. I made the recipe much drier this time as well, thinking that would help. No. It doesn't happen all the time either, I've done cookie orders for months and havent had a problem, now this one is going to give me a hard time.

I decided that I'm not using Antonia74's recipe anymore, I never ever had bleeding with Royal so I have to go back. I do think Antonia's tastes better so have kept with it, but I can't take the risk anymore, not with very detailed cookies that have lots of colors or are for an important order. I's a big order too, so I can't do it all last minute either. Then I got to thinking that about 8 months ago is when I switched to CK products meringue powder, and was wondering if that could have something to do with this whole issue. Of course I've gone through multiple containers so it's not a problem with one specific container, but maybe just with their product in general, maybe I should go back to Wiltons... I don't know, I'm probably just grasping at straws. I'm just so darn frustrated. Has anyone had the regular royal icing recipe bleed ever?? I used that for 8 years and it never once happened. I'm thinking I just have no choice and have to go back to it.

Hmmmm.....That is interesting..I believe it is the humidity and no matter how you try to eleviate it ...it's in the air,environment that you live.I have never had a problem with Antonias icing and I use it all the time.Now I live in a very dry area like Arizona so there is no humidity here! I have had roayl icing black bleed into my white but I think that happens slightly no matter what!It is frustrating!!!

I heard of the weather playing games with the frosting. And when I make mine they never dry all the way.

Maybe the cookies were too close to the air conditioner and, like the refrigerator, it adds a bit of moisture to the air. Maybe they should be kept at a safe distance? I'm just thinking out loud.

I am so sorry that you had this happen!! I don't konw if this will help for future humid days, but I was in our local fabulous cake decorating shop on a humid day and everyone was talking about the havoc that was being wreaked on their cakes and cookies. As I had a batch to do, I was concerned as well. The owner said to have the a.c. on (which you did), but also to put the cookies under a florescent light to help them dry. I used my husband's big light we use for remodeling and mine were able to dry overnight, compared to 2 days without using it. Now, I didn't have red in there, but there was a deep purple. I hope that this helps!

I use powdered egg whites instead of meringue powder and only use enough coloring to give me the color that I want. Another words don't over saturated you icing with color. I let them dry at least 24 hours between layers of color. Since I started doing this I have not had any colors bleed and I live in Texas where it can be humid when it feels like it. I know how frustrating this can be. Good Luck

I'm really not much help, only had my colors bleed when I didn't wait very long inbetween.
but I will say I've been using Wilton and CK meringue powder for my RI (only did Antonia's once) and it's been fine. I just did cookies with a black outline and only let them dry for about an hour before filling in with color and no bleeding. it's humid here, but I've had the AC on.

sorry, that su*ks when it happens, I feel for you!

Thanks for the ideas and sympathy everyone!! The cookies and cake were picked up Saturday and the eyes and mouth, and nose did not bleed. I had about 4 extra and a few hours later I saw that the nose was bleeding. ***LOL!! THat's so funny, I wasn't even trying for a joke there!! LOL!!** ANYWAY, there was some bleeding, so I'm glad I put those on last minute or they would have looked terrible.

About the a/c, all a/c 's had been on for 5 1/2 days straight, no shut offs. They weren't immediately in front of the a/c, just nearby.

They weren't very close to each other either, 5 per row on cooling racks, not even touching or anything.

Hmmm, the flourescent light is worth a try... I wonder if we have one??!

As for oversaturated color, they were clowns, so all colors had to be super saturated!! But after I tinted the icing, I 'dried it' out w/powdered sugar to get it very stiff, because I was skittish about bleeding. The noses actually had little peaks unfortunately, but I had to make the red that stiff or fear bleeding (which happened anyway!)

off the original topic really...but!.....if you make a c motion when you pick up the dot your peak will be diminished or gone altogether....and then wait a min or so (until the peak is not tacky) and gently touch the peak...that will get rid of the peak for sure...

HTH

Julia

When I know I'll be making any light colored icing, I add white food color to the "white" icing I'll be using, because if you think about it it's only white because of the powdered sugar, and air. It seems to help me, and I have added black spots to a white dog while the icing was still wet, and no bleeding. I've also outlined in black and filled in a short time later. Hope it can help you.

RI using meringue powder. I sure hope it works for you. I also use Americolor. Don't know if that makes any difference. Good luck!