Sugar Cookies With Royal Icing Decorations

Baking By caketionary1 Updated 22 Oct 2014 , 11:08pm by MBalaska

caketionary1 Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
caketionary1 Posted 27 Sep 2014 , 2:17pm
post #1 of 14

Hi , i have lots of snow flakes sugar cookies to do with royal icing decorations.my question is that:

 1.how long a head of time i can make them

2. and if its ok to stack the cookies on top of each other or i have to keep something in the middle of each cookie before stacking so they wont stick to each other.

 

Thank you so much!

13 replies
craftybanana Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
craftybanana Posted 27 Sep 2014 , 7:55pm
post #2 of 14

I've frozen sugar cookies without icing for 2 weeks with no problem. I've also eaten them after they've been out for a week and they were still fine, I use the NFSC recipe here on CC.

 

If you're doing them completely in royal icing (the kind that gets rock hard) you should be fine for stacking as long as it's completely dry. I live in a humid area so it takes about 1.5 days to completely dry (two if it rains yet again, lols). Do a test run with a few cookies and see how long you need to allow for them to dry before stacking. I've also stacked with a glaze icing, but only two together and they were done drying the day before I needed them. I've not frozen after the cookies were decorated though, so not sure how that works.

johnson6ofus Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
johnson6ofus Posted 27 Sep 2014 , 9:41pm
post #3 of 14

waxed paper is cheap... don't know why I would risk NOT separating them...after they are dry, of course.

MBalaska Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
MBalaska Posted 27 Sep 2014 , 9:51pm
post #4 of 14

Caramel waxed papers & caramel cellophane papers are perfect for safely separating decorated cookies.

caketionary1 Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
caketionary1 Posted 28 Sep 2014 , 3:03am
post #5 of 14

thank you so much  everyone for your help.appreciate it!

caketionary1 Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
caketionary1 Posted 10 Oct 2014 , 1:09pm
post #6 of 14

Thank you so much!!:)

 

what is NFSC recipe?

-K8memphis Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
-K8memphis Posted 10 Oct 2014 , 1:17pm
post #7 of 14

Quote:

Originally Posted by Magic Mouthfuls 
 

 

When packaged in a poly bag, I often sit them up on their edge and line them up inside a cake box.  That way, the decoration is taking minimal weight, as all the weight is being carried by the cookie dough edge.  If there is not enough cookies to fit the cake box, then I just add some tissue paper or bubble wrap to stuff the remaining empty space.

 

i think this is a great tip 

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Magic Mouthfuls 
 

My cookies easily last 3-6 months at room temperature with no sign of deterioration in taste or quality.

 

... After six months, I had 1 cookie in the remaining batch start to grow mould.   So, for safety, I use 3 months as my standard shelf life/best before date.  

 

Remember, sugar and salt are natural preservatives.

 

 

with all due respect i disagree -- this is a stretch -- sugar is not a preservative in a cookie -- sugar is a preservative in dehydrating things like fruit and meat, draws out moisture and this stops the growth of some bacteria, but bacteria's not eliminated -- there's not enough salt in there to preserve the cookie which is why it molded -- and if you use royal icing it gets looking a little faded/skanky after a few months -

 

even a two week old nfsc cookie will be less flavorful -- especially with only a vanilla flavoring in there -- spicy gingerbread cookies retain more flavor impact over the weeks because they started with more flavor but still it's not the same as fresh baked -- and the sweetness of sugar dissipates over time --

 

i think the poly packaging has more to do with it surviving than the sugar and salt -- it could definitely be eatable in 3 months but there would definitely be some loss of flavor and texture in the first three weeks  -- 

 

if you baked a fresh batch each month and compared i think you'd see your results much differently -- i know you said 'scientific research' kind of tongue in cheek jokingly -- but no 3 month old cookie kept at room temp is the same as a fresh baked one --

 

best to you

caketionary1 Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
caketionary1 Posted 11 Oct 2014 , 1:05am
post #8 of 14

Thank you everyone for your kind reply.i learnd alot. i made the cookies from the bake at 360 blog and i was very happy the way they turned out..i didnt like much the almond flvors in the cookies,next time will try orange zest!:) i started baking 3 days a head of time and it took me all those 3 days to bake and decorate all the cookies with royal icing.pictures attached. Thanks!:)

 

-K8memphis Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
-K8memphis Posted 11 Oct 2014 , 1:09am
post #9 of 14

Athat would make a good difference in taste and texture longevity, magic mouthfuls, using orange zest and fondant instead of vanilla and royal icing -- a friend of mine sent me a vanilla nfsc in a plain business envelope not padded or anything and it arrived intact and tasted good -- nfsc are pretty indestructible --

a tip for you on your zest but you probably already know this rub some sugar into it with your finger tips until it gets really fragrant-- releases the oils in there -- makes a nice difference -- will last even longer --

my favorite sugar cookie has cream cheese, orange zest and cinnamon -- so good!

best to you

MBalaska Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
MBalaska Posted 11 Oct 2014 , 6:41am
post #10 of 14

Once again.........I'm all for the heat sealer machines & poly or cello bags.  You can't go wrong.   They prolong the shelf life of cookies like these and keep them looking nice.

 

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001UGOB8U/?tag=cakecentral-20+sealer

 

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008HMWC4A/?tag=cakecentral-20+sealer

Cara-mel Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
Cara-mel Posted 16 Oct 2014 , 3:01am
post #11 of 14

I have family in VA who wish to receive cookies, these are some awesome packaging tips.  Thank you MBalaska for sharing!

MBalaska Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
MBalaska Posted 16 Oct 2014 , 4:23am
post #12 of 14

You're welcome @Cara-mel  Let us know if it works for you and what condition the cookies arrive.   I've had good luck so far.

.


These are gusset bags.  I clip the sides so the gussets are perfectly closed and will seal neatly.  Suck just enough air out of them so that the bag is getting flatter (less air is good) but not enough to crush or crack the cookies.  It's easy so see when to hit the seal button.   Course you don't have to vacuum out any air at all if you don't want to.  But this is so fantastic to do with your cookies.

MBalaska Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
MBalaska Posted 22 Oct 2014 , 12:48am
post #13 of 14

@Cara-mel  you may just try to roll the dough a tiny bit thicker than normal.  Just to give them a bit more strength.

Cheers,

mb

MBalaska Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
MBalaska Posted 22 Oct 2014 , 11:08pm
post #14 of 14

A new cookie decorating book is on amazon, could it be any cuter!!!!!  have to put this in the cart.

 

http://www.amazon.com/dp/1438005229/?tag=cakecentral-20

Quote by @%username% on %date%

%body%