I made Tara1970's icing today for the first time and it was really stiff. Too stiff to put in a squeeze bottle to decorate cookies. Any suggestions on what to do to make it the right consistency? I need it to be thick enough to stay on the cookie but not too thick that it won't squeeze out of the bottle.

And does anyone know how long this will last in the container? Does it need to be stored in the refrigerator or at room temperature?

Thank you. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

I noticed, when I was making her icing, that there is not enough liquid. I added more milk and corn syrup, just a tsp at a time, until it was the consistency that I needed. I believe I added 2 more tsps of milk, and 1 more tsp of corn syrup to get a good consistency for outlining. I thinned it even more, with corn syrup, for flooding.

HTH!

When I made it I used corn syrup to thin it out. But, do not make it very thin. It is the kind of icing that runs into itself easily. I hope you understand. If you make it too thin - it will run off the cookie.

I'm not familiar with her icing, you said it has milk and corn syrup -- is it a glace type icing?

Thank you amia1024 and TrinaR for your help and suggestions.

Bobwonderbuns, I've heard someone compare this icing to Tobas glace(which I've never tried.) It does seem to have about the same ingredients in them.

Wow amia! Those are cookies are very cute!!

Thanks Mickeebabe, I was wondering if it was similar to Toba's glace. Which actually brings me to my next question, has anyone who uses Tara's icing found that it has the greyness and splotchiness that seems to be prevalent in Toba's glace?

Both of these icings are essentially the same recipe. Powdered sugar, milk, corn syrup and vanilla. Neither should be more or less splotchy than the other. I use the same type of recipe and maybe I've use been lucky (knock wood) but I have not had a blotchy color yet.

With a recipe like this, if the consistency is not what you need, either add more liquid to loosen it, or more powdered sugar to make it stiffer. I've had some stored on the counter for a week, covered tightly and it seems just fine.

To help prevent the splotchiness, add brite white food color. I use about 5 drops (Americolor brand) for every cup of powdered sugar. Mix well, then divide and color as needed. The white will also make the icing a bit more opaque. Since using the white food color, I haven't had a problem with the icing getting splotchy or cloudy, which happened when the decorated cookies were refrigerated.

Thank you all.

Please exuse the ignorant question, but as this has milk in it, so they need to be eaten within a certain period of time? I just haven't played with one yet and have always wondered about the shelf life if I have to ship or if they aren't eaten right away. Thanks!

Along the same lines as TracyLH's question, I'm not sure if it's safe to leave the icing unrefrigerated since it has milk in it. I always use Antonia74's RI, but wouldn't mind trying the glace just to give it a try. If you refrigerate the leftover glace, does it change the consistency? Thanks

Pebbles, I'm sure I saw somewhere that it was two weeks out of fridge, and three in fridge...BUT now that I write that, maybe that was RI. Somebody jump in here.
Also, I use both RI and TG, and I suggest you try TG sometime, It really has a wonderful taste on the cookie

The ratio of milk to sugar in recipes like this and even buttercream are HUGE!!! Sugar acts as a preservative for the small amount of dairy that is in the product. There is no reason to think that in a matter of a couple days it will go bad.

Like I said, I had a batch of glace in containers on the counter for a week, just fine! Consistency stayed exactly the same the entire time, taste was the same too. I also used it to ice cookies that I shipped to my inlaws. Guam to Florida, took about 5 days, they said they were delish! I used the rest of it yesterday tasted and behaved perfectly!

vstar_pilot is correct. It was mentioned in an article somewhere that the high sugar content will help prevent spoilage. Refrigeration will help keep the icing fresh for spreading purposes, though, so it's recommended when you're between decorating jobs.

Good to know, vstar, thanks for the 'voice of experience'! Now I know I can safely use the TG and RI I left out from Thursday!

Shiney... definitely!! I can say that they are safe because I ate several of the cookies (which I shouldn't have) and I haven't died...HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

vstar, we all appreciate your putting your waist on the line for the good of all cookie decorators!

I love my CC friends so much, I shall selflessly throw myself on baking goods!! HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

Honey, I do remember that now. THANKS!! (....running to throw the batch I made tonight in the fridge NOW!) hey, I got the two weeks and three weeks right....just with very wrong details!

Toba's glace needs to be refrigerated even after put on cookies?...

Ditto on that last question! So how long are the cookies 'safe'? Honeydukes, do you mean the icing in the bowl before dry for two weeks or two weeks after they have been iced? I have people who have been known to hold on to their cookies for a long period of time before eating them as they don't want to bite into it. I am concerned about how long they will be 'safe' once iced. We all want our cookies to be eaten right away as we know they are best then, but that doesn't always happen. Thanks for everyone's help!

Sorry, I did a really lousy job phrasing that! I was trying to see if the two weeks meant the 'wet' icing before putting it on the cookie or dry on the cookie. What I should have asked was "Is two weeks how lthe cookies last iced?" You kindly covered both aspects for me. Sorry about that! I still probably don't make much sense as I stayed up far too late cookie-ing and am a bit out of it.

Hoenydukes, - you always make me laugh! Uh, oh! Lower those expectations! After the Christmas cookie insanity, I am trying to pull back on how Type A I get with the cookies, but I will say that I like how these are turning out. Still a bit Type A, but no so ridiculous time-wise. Wish I could see your creations! I bet you do some incredible work! Your imagination and ideas always impress me!

Thanks, Gemini! I may have to try this one sometime as you all have answered the milk/shelf life issue.