Nfsc & Antonio74 Royal Icing

Decorating By Jannie92869 Updated 1 Mar 2009 , 11:35am by antonia74

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Jannie92869 Posted 27 Feb 2009 , 1:51am
post #1 of 10

I have gotten the science down to rolling my cookies to the proper height by using two dowels one on each side. I have read the article/tutorial by antionio74.

Now on the royal icing.....I have tried doing a white outline first then adding my colors. I have used the same color ...made the outline and then came back and filled it in. Either way...its looks like a child did the outlining. My hand just doesn't seem steady. I have been using a piping bag to flood with a tip 5. I have read here that some use a bottle to flood. It proved messy to get the icing into the bottle or is mine just way too thin? Is your royal runny when flooding?

What tip do you outline with? Does a bottle prove any easier?

Sorry for all the questions but I am just trying to figure this out.

Thanks in advance for your help.

9 replies
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antonia74 Posted 27 Feb 2009 , 2:44am
post #2 of 10

(Hey! It's Antonia, I'm a girl. icon_lol.gif )


You can outline with the thinned icing using a #2 or #3 tip and flood with the same thinned icing using a #4 or #5 tip. (The size of tip you pick can depend upon a lot of things....like the size of the cookie, the size of the area you are flooding, whether or not the cookie has tight/skinny areas, etc.)

For a nice even outline, never drag your tip on the cookie. Start the icing in one spot and lift your tip up about 1/2" off the surface of the cookie allowing the icing line to drop onto the cookie and into place. At the end, touch your tip to the cookie again to end the line.

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Jannie92869 Posted 27 Feb 2009 , 11:44am
post #3 of 10

icon_biggrin.gif Please excuse me...I meant antonia...sorry! I definitely know better than that o...I have been watching all the wonderful pics you share, cookies, cupcake stands....its all awesome!

In your reply, you stated to thin the icing for the outline as well. Once you make the royal according to your directions...how much do you thin it since you are using the same to outline and flood. I know I have gotten mine to thin at times because when I go to do the slight shake it could go over the outline.

Thanks for your help...I REALLY appreciate it! icon_lol.gif

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artsywest Posted 27 Feb 2009 , 5:02pm
post #4 of 10

A lot of times when I'm piping outlines on my cookies, I don't make the lines straight, or my hand goes goofy or something, but I can usually fix it with a damp paintbrush. Take a paintbrush, dip it in water, then blot it a little (so it's not too wet) then nudge the line of icing back where you want it.

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mamacc Posted 27 Feb 2009 , 6:09pm
post #5 of 10

And sometimes you don't have to outline at all...just go around the edge of the cookie with a tip 4 and then fill in. I've used Antonia's recipe for this and it works great b/c it doesn't spread too much. Then you can go back and add details on the top after the cookie dries.

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antonia74 Posted 28 Feb 2009 , 1:46am
post #6 of 10
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jannie92869

icon_biggrin.gif Please excuse me...I meant antonia...sorry! I definitely know better than that o...I have been watching all the wonderful pics you share, cookies, cupcake stands....its all awesome!

In your reply, you stated to thin the icing for the outline as well. Once you make the royal according to your directions...how much do you thin it since you are using the same to outline and flood. I know I have gotten mine to thin at times because when I go to do the slight shake it could go over the outline.

Thanks for your help...I REALLY appreciate it! icon_lol.gif




Please understand, I made that tutorial for absolute beginners to cookie decorating. It had to be easy enough for them to handle and not be discouraged. Using the thicker icing outline is easy as a very introduction to cookie making, but you can progress in many ways from that point.

Of course, after you've tried your hand at the techniques, you can most certainly use thinned icing for outlining and get to the stage where you don't even outline anymore. It's all about practicing, getting the consistency of the icing right for each stage and feeling comfortable.

In answer to your question...yes, when you have a feel for piping icing and are comfortable with it you can use the thinned icing for both outlining and flooding.

As I wrote in that tutorial....

To thin your royal icing, , add 1 tablespoon of water at a time. I would use between 1/8 cup to 1/4 cup (or about 2 to 3 Tablespoons) of water to thin it. If you use too much water, you can add a sprinkling of icing sugar to thicken it back up.

The consistency you are looking for for flooding (filling in) your cookies with icing can be compared to white glue, yogurt or cake batter. It should be runny, but not thin or watery. Icing that contains too much water can appear translucent, take much longer to dry...and even worse, darker/bright colours may separate and appear "crystallized" after drying.

Dip a soup spoon into your icing bowl and watch it drip back into your bowl. The drizzle should disappear into the icing within 3 to 5 seconds. If you shake the bowl from side to side quickly, all visible lines should disappear immediately and the top will be smooth and uniform.



How much water you need to add will vary from climate to climate, as humidity and even icing sugars are different all over the world. You'll have to test it out for yourself how much water is needed for yours.

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Susie53 Posted 28 Feb 2009 , 1:58am
post #7 of 10

antonia74, I just wanted to say that your tutorial on decorating cookies helped me so much. I've only decorated cookies this past Christmas and Valentine's, I hope to get much better. Anyway, just wanted to say thanks!

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antonia74 Posted 28 Feb 2009 , 2:27am
post #8 of 10

You're very welcome! icon_smile.gif That's so nice to hear.

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Jannie92869 Posted 28 Feb 2009 , 11:26am
post #9 of 10

Antonia74,

I just wanted to thank you for taking the time to reply to my post and PM. I have learned a lot from your tutorial. I had it printed a while but just got up the nerve to try it. I will keep practicing, I know they will get better with time....just like everything else.

Thank you! icon_biggrin.gif

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antonia74 Posted 1 Mar 2009 , 11:35am
post #10 of 10

icon_biggrin.gif No problem, have fun! (Remember....there are no mistakes and if you don't like something, just eat it. icon_lol.gif )

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