I made some cookies for Easter with glace and they turned out great. I made some cookies for our doctor's office for Nurses Day this week and when the glace dried, white snowflake-like splotches started showing through the colors and the finish was matted or cloudly instread of shiney...the Easter cookies were very shiney when dried. It was'nt just the dark colors either.

The only thing I did differently that I know of is that on this batch, I used a store brand of powdered sugar instead of C & H. I made the glace and colored it the day before and stirred it well before using it. It certainly didn't have little bits of white not mixed in then - just developed after drying. I did use Wilton colors but I'm ordering some Americolors this week. I'm wondering if it has anything to do with maybe the store brand of powdered sugar having more cornstarch in it than the C&H????

Any suggestions on what to do to avoid this problem next time? It's really disappointing after working so hard on them for the finished product not be up to my standards.

Janet

Did you add some brite white food color to the icing when you mixed it up? I quit having problems with the blotches and cloudiness since I started adding the brite white (Americolor). I use whatever brand of powdered sugar is on sale, which is usually the store brand, and have the same results regardless. I know how dismayed you must've been to see that happen after all your hard work. I'm so sorry for you!

I used to have that problem when I made my cookies in advance and stored them in the frig. That frosting seems to be susceptible to temperature changes. I quit making the cookies in advance and I don't get the splotches anymore. I also add several drops of the whitener and about 1/2 tsp. meringue powder per 2 cups powdered sugar.

I ordered some Bright White too. I can't get anything like that locally. I didn't refrigerate them so it wasn't that. I really love the glace taste and the way it turned out the first time around.

Everyone still loved the cookies and they were all eaten. (I'm just a home baker and do it for fun, not profit) I would have been COMPLETELY devastated if someone had paid me for them and that happened!!! As it was, it was a little embarrassing but they didn't care! In our little community, everyone is very thankful for anything they are given, luckily!

Global Sugar has already mailed my order to me so I'll be anxiously be waiting to try it out with the Americolors and bright white as soon as it arrives!

Thank you so much for your replies. I have learned SO MUCH from you guys! I greatly appreciate it! I think I'm addicted to doing cookies now! And I can't even eat them!

what color(s) were you using when they went blotchy? i have had that happen a time or two with dark colors?
how did you dry them? was room to cold or to hot? inconsistent drying temps can sometime cause that to happen.

I used Wilton paste colors. Basically, ALL the colors got some blotchiness. Of course, the red, forest green, gray and royal blues were the WORST! The pastel blue, pink, green, and yellows had some spots as well. That's why I thought it may have had something to do with the amount of cornstarch in the cheaper powdered sugar. I use water in my glace instead of milk.

Our house is a pretty consistent 68 degrees all the time. I live in Alaska and humidity is never much of a problem either. Our air is more dry than anything. I have a 5 shelf rolling cart (metal) sort of like they use in a bakery, know what I mean? The cookies are on cookie sheets on that to air dry.

hmmmm sometimes it is just a bad icing day...

i have one trick i use to maximize shine by setting the surface that may work for you to help avoid the blotches as i never get them when i do this. i outline and flood in groups of 4-6 cookies (i outline and flood immediately because i hate the look of a visible outline). when i am done with that batch it goes under a lamp (just a regular goose neck lamp about 18" up from the cookies). they stay under the lamp until the next batch is ready, then they get moved to the drying area to get fully dry.

Since I put less liquid, no more blotches (cross fingers).. And I now use water instead of milk!

Can the White White icing color from wilton be used instead of Bright White? I have never heard of Bright White - is it the same thing?

I also use less liquid (water) and I don't outline either. I just dip the cookie, and wipe off the excess with an offset spatula - so quick!
I use 1/8 c. water to 1 c. powdered sugar and 1/4 tsp. meringue powder and a dash of butter flavor. I mix this up well and then add the corn syrup.
I don't use the whitener if I want really bold colors because it tends to mute colors. It looks so good on pastels, etc. This frosting can be stored on the counter for a while.

I may be way off here, but I suspect the spots have something to do with the cookie under the glace icing - either a moisture or fat differential on top of the cookie. This is just a theory mind you

I am planning on trying glazing my NFSCs with eggwash before baking as a way of 'sealing' them, and then applying the icing/glace etc on that surface. I will let you know if it makes a difference

i switched to water (from milk) a while back too. i think i get a shinier cookie with water.

ahuvas, i have used the wilton white with glace and i will not use it again. i used it on three different times. it made the colors dull to my eye and when i made white ghosts with it the white icing had a wierd "crazed" look to it that i never had seen before. i bought some americolor white after reading about it on cc and am going to try that next time i need a white white.

evoir, your theory sounds interesting. i was doing some reading on that subject the other day and it kind of dovetails your theory. let me know how your eggwash experiment works, i would love to hear!

i don't refridgerate my cookies, but i still get that problem occasionally.
do you think it might be a humidity problem? that might account for both here and the fridge. just guessing

you made me laugh i needed a good smile this morning. thank you.
i know exactly what you mean! i am the same way about my routine and when it doesn't work everyone knows to leave mom alone when she is having a bad cookie day...

The sad thing is, I consider myself to be a fairly intelligent person. But I bet if someone told me the secret to perfect icing was to stir the icing exactly 53 strokes, counter clockwise, using a wooden spoon, I'd probably try it. And if the icing came out perfect, I'd probably believe I'd found the answer and repeat it each time I made icing. So sad.

Sad, Gemini? I feel the same way! Cookies are a LOT of work and whatever it takes to make them come out perfect, I'd certainly try it!!!

I'm going to make some cookie dough this weekend and freeze it in several small packages. Then later next week, after I get my yard cleaned up, I'm going to make some cookies with a few of the suggestions given here and see if I get different results. My own little experimental lab!

It was just so puzzling to me because the Easter cookies turned out perfect. And then these were SO blotchy! And the only thing I did differently was the brand of powdered sugar. Funny how these cookies are not mere cookies in our eyes, but works of art!

I have tried the glace recipe many times and ALWAYS white splotches. I am going to try using white chocolate for my cookies. I saw another topic somewhere and the cookies were dipped into coloured white chocolate or the cookies were flooded.

YUM!

I have had this happen to me too many times with glace so I had to stop using it. I also had so many bubbles in it e ven after I let it sit overnight, or stirred it less. It is just way to inconsistant for me, I don't know what I do wrong! Now all I will use is royal icing even though I don't like the taste as much.