Argh Circle Cookies..soccer Balls. I'm Pulling My Hair Out.
Baking By sweetcravings Updated 7 Aug 2008 , 11:35pm by seskenn
Ok, so i planned to make soccer ball cookies for Saturday for my son's team. I posted a question about decorating them consistently and got some great responses. 
BUT>..who would've thought i would have a problem even before i started the decorating part? 
So i just finished flooding the cookies with white royal...PROBLEM>>> the cookies when baked looked so nice and round but once i flooded the cookies the icing is not perfectly round in shape. Won't my balls look lopsided when finished? How do you acheive the perfect round shape with the icing? I was thinking i could just outline the ball shape with the black icing when it's all dry but I think i will have the same problem. I'm not great at freehanding perfect circles 
. Am i stressing over nothing? will they still look ok being that the white flooding isn't a perfect circle? I can't believe i'm having concerns even before i get to the design...argh soccer balls.
It's moments like these i think i should just stick with cakes.
suz
Hugs to you, suz!
Now, take a step back to breathe. You can do this!
Before piping the black, stiffen up your icing a bit...it will give you better control, and your piping won't run. Now, I would recommend that you not worry about outlining the cookie with black...it would draw attention to the uneven white more, I think.
If you look at the soccer ball cookie in my photos, you will see that I did not outline mine (and my white is not perfectly round, either.)
Use your stiffened black to outline the black pentagon shapes on your cookie, and the lines. Then, you can use a thinner black inside of the shape to flood it in. The pentagon shape is tricky, but I know that you can do it! 
I hope this was helpful to you!
It may be too late for this idea since you've made all your cookies, but .... As soon as I take cookies out of the oven it gently press them with a size smaller cookie cutter to make an outline. It's easier for me to trace the outline with a stiffer RI than to try and freehand it, especially if my cookies don't come out exactly round either.
But seriously, don't stress too much about making them perfectly round. Once you get them all decorated and piled on to the plate no one will notice. They'll all just ohh and ahh and you'll be the kids' hero!
Hugs to you, suz!
Now, take a step back to breathe. You can do this!
Before piping the black, stiffen up your icing a bit...it will give you better control, and your piping won't run. Now, I would recommend that you not worry about outlining the cookie with black...it would draw attention to the uneven white more, I think.
If you look at the soccer ball cookie in my photos, you will see that I did not outline mine (and my white is not perfectly round, either.)
Use your stiffened black to outline the black pentagon shapes on your cookie, and the lines. Then, you can use a thinner black inside of the shape to flood it in. The pentagon shape is tricky, but I know that you can do it!
I hope this was helpful to you!
Thanks so much for the moral support. I looked at your soccer ball cookies and they look great! Ok now i'm not so concerned. I see what you mean about outllining black will just draw attention to the crooked white icing. Yours look great without it. I'm going to follow your instruction and just make the best of it. I guess i have no other choice. I have all these circle cookies on sticks, i have to use them now. Do you think putting the black outline on them tonight will be too early? I don't want it to bleed into the white. The white seems to have set up nicely at this point.
Your words really did calm me down. I decided to get away from them and took a swim this afternoon. It did me good. Got my mind off of it, and after reading your post i feel better. Thanks so much. 
It may be too late for this idea since you've made all your cookies, but .... As soon as I take cookies out of the oven it gently press them with a size smaller cookie cutter to make an outline. It's easier for me to trace the outline with a stiffer RI than to try and freehand it, especially if my cookies don't come out exactly round either.
But seriously, don't stress too much about making them perfectly round. Once you get them all decorated and piled on to the plate no one will notice. They'll all just ohh and ahh and you'll be the kids' hero!
Your suggestion is brillant! I don't know why i didn't think of that. That would definitely be easier than trying to pipe a perfect circle. I will definitely try that next time i attempt a circle type of cookie. Thanks for sharing the tip.
sweetcraving,
Glad you had a chance to take some "me" time this afternoon and separate yourself from the cookies. I know that they will be fabulous now that you've had a chance to regroup!
And yes, you can pipe the black tonight. If it is stiff enough, you should have no problems with running or bleeding. I often pipe the black detail on right after the white underneath has had a few moments to crust (like starting on the first white cookie after I finished the last white cookie.) I would, however, wait as long as possible to bag them...that way all of the icing has plenty of time to set. (That is if you are going to bag them, of course!)
Baking blessings to you, friend!
seskenn - that is the BEST suggestion I've ever heard! I'm going to do that next time. It's the solution I've been looking for for a very long time now. As a matter of fact I'm going to try using the same cutter they were cut with since they expand just slightly anyways. THANK YOU!!!!!!
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