Hi Everyone,

Although I've baked biscuits many times before, I've never decorated them with icing. So this is my very first attempt and I don't think I did too bad considering whats involved. I made my icing from royal icing sugar, rather than from scratch. I coloured it with gel. Piped an outline. Filled it in. Then decorated. Never done any of that before.

I had a few issues with bubbles in the icing.
I bought a cheap piping set and the nozzle was too big I think.
I don't think I made the icing runny enough to fill the outline.
And I tried putting wet icing of another colour into the main icing to make a pattern but I didn't make the colour strong enough for my liking.
And I ran out of icing near the end so used sprinkles!

Few photos. Tips welcomed.

Oh - I also ruined a couple of them putting them into a container, even though I frosted them 4+ hours ago...not sure how you're meant to let the icing dry without the cookies going stale in the open air.

very nice!

You did a good job. Decorating cookies is not as easy as one might think. Keep up the good work.

You did a good job!
When you make up your icing you are mixing in some air, leave it to stand for at least a few hrs, the longer the better so the bubbles rise to the surface.

I also keep a pin or a toothpick handy to pop any bubbles that appear.

I leave mine overnight to dry before boxing up, sometimes they need a bit longer.
You can always make one of the biscuits a test one so you can press the icing with your finger to see if it is ready.

I am still practicing at icing biscuits, some of the pics on this site are AMAZING!

Doesn't the icing go hard if you leave it to stand?

And don't the biscuits go stale if you don't get them into a box?

It crusts over if you leave it to stand, but it needs hours to dry out completely.

They will not be as crisp like they are straight from the oven but they wont be stale either. Just a little softer. And still delicious, honestly!

I thought the same as you when I heard you had to leave them out to dry, I cover mine with a table cloth after they are dry to the touch then just leave them.

Just asking - doesn't stirring the icing to remove the crust stir more air into it? Or does that not happen if you stir very gently?

Would putting the biscuits on a baking tray and putting them in a cold oven once iced do the trick of keeping them crunchier and let the icing dry?

Once you have made your icing, make sure you cover the bowl with cling film touching the surface of the icing so you don't get a crust.

I use decorating bottles, some are wilton, I got those at hobby craft, some are from a cupcake decorating set that I found in a cheap shop. You could also use those cheap ketchup bottles you find in pound shops. If you use the bottles you dont need to worry about crusting over.

I don't know if keeping them in a cold oven would help to be honest.

Does that answer your questions?

I think so. So you can keep the icing in an airtight container (like a bottle) and pop the bubbles that rise to the surface?

Just thought of the oven as it has to be more airtight than just leaving the biscuits out, so may slow the softening...maybe...but they'd be out of the way so maybe I'll store them there whether it keeps the crunchy or not.

Looked at my test biscuit this morning and it's still not 100% set. Didn't realise it'd take so long. So if I want to make any for an occasion, I need to do it days in advance.


I'm learning a lot from this forum, but also from my own mistakes. I'm pleased with my biscuits and I have good tips to try next time

I have learned an awful lot from this site, and if you have the time it is good to go through some of the hints and tips on the forums.

I have spent many a happy hour reading through the posts, some of the tips have been invaluable.

Yes - I've saved lots of recipes and looked at tutorials and posts...good to have since theres no-one in my family/friends who bakes.

Biscuits-I love you guys.

Your cookies are AWESOME!!! I would pull my hair out decorating individual little cookies like that. It would drive me insane.

Very nice job. You did really well. I like them. I too just tried decorating cookies with royal icing for the first time. I see so many beautifully decorated cookies on this site I had to try. I made Shamrock Cookies and tried to keep them simple, but I have a new found respect for all the cookie decorators on here. It took forever, at least it felt like forever. I was pleased with the outcome. Not sure if I'd sell them or not. I want to charge $6 a cookie for all the work. LOL But no one would buy them. I enjoyed it though.

Maybe with practice it gets faster

Anyway, your cookies are gorgeous. Nice job.

I think you did a beautiful job!!

well done for a first attempt!

I still have problems with bubbles even after 4 years of making decorated cookies. always keep a toothpick handy to pop the bubbles. and let your icing stand for at least 30 minutes before using it to allow the bubbles to rise to the surface. cover it with saran wrap/cling film and a damp towel over the cling film to avoid crusting.

recently, I bought this wonderful tool that has helped me so much specially with the air bubbles. a heat gun! they're available at craft stores and mostly used for embossing, but can definitely be used for helping to dry the icing.

and here are some really wonderful blogs for cookie decorators, these blogs have a treasure load of info in them and are a big help:
http://sweetopia.net/2010/02/part-2-how-to-prevent-air-bubbles-in-royal-icing/
http://lilaloa.blogspot.com/
http://snargblog.blogspot.com/
http://www.sweetsugarbelle.com/
http://bakeat350.blogspot.com/
http://cakecreationsforyou.blogspot.com