I am a newbie and I want to make cookie favors for my son's communion in April. But I'm having some difficulting with the consistence of the base icing. I either make it too runny and it leaks off the cookie or it's too thick and it doesn't have that thin glass like icing I'm looking for.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I just want to make my son't communion special.

Thank you in advance.

welcome to the world of cookies - it's very rewarding and fun, but can also be frustrating! I think one of the most frustrating parts is icing consistency. You have to keep trying and find what works for you - then you'll be fine!

A lot of people like the "10 second rule" (the time it takes for the icing to "fade" back in when drizzled), but honestly, that doesn't' work for everyone. Personally, I prefer closer to 6-7 seconds. In addition, the method of putting the icing on makes a difference - bags, bottles, dipping, etc. You have to try them out and see what works for you.

The good news is that practice does really make a noticeable difference! And, that the practice cookies and "mistakes" are still totally yummy!!

Being a "Until it looks right" book, I agree with bonnie that it takes some practice to know when the consistency is right.

While the icing is still in the bowl, I'll take a spoonful and empty the spoon back into the bowl. It should land in a mound but within a few seconds, shou;d dissipate into one smooth surface. When I put the base icing on a cookie, if I have to I should be able to pick up the cookie and bang it a couple of times on the counter to smooth out the icing lines. (the bang test works good for me! It does double duty sometimes by letting me bang out some cookie stress! )