This is probably a silly question, but how do you ice cookies? This is something I've never attempted. Do you use royal icing or something else? I was looking at some in the gallery ( sorry- can't remember whose they were) that were just beautiful and so smooth! I'd like to try.

How funny, I just posted the same thing! I hope someone replies to let us know how to ice those darn cookies!

yup, just royal icing, used as for colour flow/floodwork. be sure that the cookies are cool, and brush away any loose crumbs before working. if you're doing fully-flooded surfaces, try to keep the icing layer thin, or they will take forever to dry. try setting aside one cookie to decorate last as a tester: tap it with your finger at hour intervals -- when it's dry, you can assume that the rest of your decorated cookies are too.

you could also use melted candy/chocolate coating (merkins, candy-melts, etc) to pipe decorations, again, as with floodwork.

You can also use fondant. I tend to use the shapped cookie pans to bake mine when I do a lot of them, and I have the same shaped cookie cutters to cut out the fondant with. Then I generally outline on the fondant with royal icing for a crisper look.

Thank you for your replies. I think the method I've seen is with royal, but I dont' know what fondant covered cookies look like. Do you have to ice them first for the fondant to stick? Maybe I'll try them both ways, LOL!

I just use a small coating of sugar/water to make the fondant stick to the cookies. We were told to do that then brush w/vanilla extract to put the fondant on, but I find if I just coat w/the sugar/water mixture then lay the fondant cut outs over the cookie, it sticks just fine.

Hi guys! I'm just writing and photographing a step-by-step guide to decorating cookies. I hope to have it ready to post as an article by the first week of September. If you have any questions you want answering, just PM me so I can include them in it!!

I cannot wait for this article, antonia74!!! Chomping at the bit!! or the cookie, rather...lol

Excellent, antonia! I'm such a visual learner, LOL. I look forward to seeing your tutorial!

That is wondeful, Antonia74! I was admiring your cookies today with my older girls and we were thinking we'd like to give it a try. I'll look forward to your article. Yahoo!--another new thing to try!

Wow Antonia! I just looked at your photos and you must love making cookies they are gorgeous and I bet very time consuming! Great work!

Go on Antonia¡¡¡¡¡

Here we are waiting for this very apreciatte article.

Saborita

Ohhhhh Antonia!!!!!!! Yours were the cookies I had in mind when I started this thread! You do amazing work! So smooth! Can I ask if you use a special cookie recipe? Also, where do you get such neat cookie cutters?

I will give you ALL my secrets!! I love to share!

In the meantime, the cutters are from www.kitchengifts.com and www.cookiecutter.com...and there you will find a great step-by-step visual tutorial (link on the home page) for how to ice cookies.

uummmmm....the link took me to an outdoor adventure/journey company??? I tried offthebeatenpath.net, but no luck...

Jenn

Sorry, my mistake!!

It's a company called Off the Beaten Path, but the website is just www.cookiecutter.com

Thanks!!

Oh thank you! Great websites!!