I am new to this board. I have been getting some good tips but now have a question I hope someone can help with. I just started decorating cookies with royal icing, used to just do buttercream. I have done it a couple times but this time the icing I used to flood the cookies is not getting hard. I think maybe I got to much air in the icing? Can I put them in the refrierator to harden up or will that make the cookies soft? Or are they just going to be sticky? It has been about 18 hours since I did them.

Thanks
Kim

Hmmm...a few things come to my mind. Could high humidity be a factor? Or if the icing came into contact with any grease, it wouldn't harden as well, for example, if you used a reusable bag that you normally use for buttercream, there will always be some grease in it that you can't get out, which can affect the icing. Maybe someone else has more ideas to contribute. You could try putting the im the oven with just the light on to try and get the to dry.

What recipe did you use for your icing?

My first thought would be maybe grease is getting in your icing. What equipment are you using? Are you using any plastic item that has ever touched grease or fat of any kind? Once plastic touches grease it always has a little on it, you can never wash it off. If you use a spatula, plastic bowl, reusable decorating bag or anything of that type they need to be kept away from grease and used just for royal icing.

I tend to use glass bowls, parchment triangles and I use metal utensils to scrape my bowl when I'm working with royal to avoid any possible contact with grease. I also wash my bowl a couple times with very soapy water and my beater as well.

I will try and put them in the oven. I am going to have to be more careful with the royal icing. May have to invest in some metal tools. My DH will love that! The outlining icing has gotten hard, it is just the flooding icing that I added the water to the isn't so maybe the spatula I used to mix the thinned icing had grease on it. It just seemed very fluffy after I put the water in but I am still working on getting consistencies right.

Thanks!!

How thin was your flooding icing?
I have added too much water to mine and had drying problems. My flooding consistency is about like elmers glue.

I used a icing recipe from a class I took and it has work before. It seemed like it was the consistency of cake batter but it was very fluffy. I used the mixer to mix in the water and thought maybe it got to much air but think it could have be too much water? This morning the icing in the bottle had seperated out the water. These are for a get together with friends, trying to decide if I want to try again or serve them to them as oops?

Kim

I have rarely had this happen and when it has it has been because I added the water all at once and made it too thin. My experience is that you have to add to a little at a time. Does it kind of wipe off chalky? That's what has happened to me. Good luck

I made another batch of cookies and used the royal icing I had left. This time I thinned it out with less water and mixed with a metal spoon and it turned out. Yeah!! Thanks for the advice.

Kim

I made another batch of cookies and used the royal icing I had left. This time I thinned it out with less water and mixed with a metal spoon and it turned out. Yeah!! Thanks for the advice.

Kim

Glad it worked out for you!

I've never had problems mixing royal icing after buttercream. I only have one plastic bowl that I mix in. I just make sure I wash everything very well.

It does sound like either too much water or some grease that was missed when washing. If it is grease, take some vinegar, and wipe down whatever you want to use for royal icing.

Not trying to cause any problems, or step on any toes. Just stating what I do.

HTH

When I first started decorating I had this happen to me once so now when doing any decorating with Royal Icing I use disposable bags and also have one regular bag and separate tips that are for Royal Icing only. Have not had that problem again. Lynda

merengue powder or egg whites are in it right? Enough? Grease could definitely be the issue.... As far as the water.. if flooding, I add just enough water so that when I drop a bit of the icing into the bowl, the marks made by the drop disappear in a count of 10. If mostly disappeared, I will often just shake the cookie a bit t get it to smooth out.