Gonna start working on my cookies in about an hour and I have a question.

When I put the RI on, do I need to make a 'border' with thicker icing first and then flood inside of that? Or can I just slowly flood the top of the cookie making sure it doesn't poor over the sides? I'm hoping the last option will work, so I don't have to worry about making two different consistencies, but I also want to make sure it's done right!

Please help asap! Would love techniques and hints etc. . .

please look up antonia74 instructions on c/c.. it is very informative.. on this question that you have asked.. it would be under articles.. haven,t tried it yet, myself..but know i can do it like she says.. hth

If you only need the cookies to be one color, I'd dip them, smooth off the excess, clean up the edge. Otherwise, you'll want to do a 'dam' and let it dry for a few minutes before flooding. The first way is so much faster!

There will be lots of different opinions, which is a good thing, because it gives you lots of options on what may work for you.

I use one consistency but only because I just don't want to make two different batches of icing, plus I like it to blend nice and smooth (dont' like to see the outline). I like to outline the whole cookie (or section), then fill it in. It just seems easier to me.

I also tend to (but not always) ice the backside of the cookie. The backside is perfectly flat and that helps avoid having a rounded top cookie that the icing will roll off of. A perfectly flat surface seems to work better for me for keeping the icing on, with no "drips" down the sides.

When I was a kid, the only bakery in town had Smiley Face cookies and they iced the backside of them. That's where I got the idea.

I like to outline the cookies first. But have done them with out it. If i have simple cookies to make, i usually use fondant then there is no flooding and no real wait time for them the dry.

When I first started, I tried to save time too like you OP and not outline. Yea, that didn't work for me, the icing just ran off. Now, I always outline first. As stated above, you only need to let the outline dry for a few minutes and then go back and flood. I usually outline 10 or 20 cookies and by the time I'm done with the last one the first ones are ready to flood.

Have Fun!! Happy Holidays