Okay, I have posted about this before but now I proof! I am having this trouble with grease (I think it must be the butter) coming through the cookie and into the royal icing. I am sure there is not oil in the royal. Everything is clean and oil free. I am trying to get these Converse sneakers done for Sunday. I iced one with black icing and left it on the counter to dry (about 7 hours). When I just looked at it there it was the oil coming through the black in splotches. I have attached the photo. I didn't put another cookie on top or anything, the cookie was just sitting there by itself not bothering anyone. Why does this happen to me??? Anyone???

Thanks for listening (even if you don't know!)

Susan

I noticed that the picture didn't show up. I'll try again.

Are the cookies completely cooled before you ice them? What recipe are you using for the cookies?

It does not look like oil to me. It looks to me like the mixing process was incomplete. Make sure that your sugar is seived and the colour you're adding to your icing is smooth (some of them get crstalized). If you're using powdered color seive that too. Then after you've mixed, take some icing, smooth some over a scraper or something flat (as if you were coating), and examine it for anything unusual, even air bubbles.

<<"the cookie was just sitting there by itself not bothering anyone.">> That's flipp'n funny!
Did you try putting white-white or bright-white in your RI before adding the black. Sounds funny...but, I know with my TG, I get funny splotches or blotches if I don't use the white-white in my base icing. Been a while since I used RI, but i do remember it always blotching, driving me CrAzY....I didn't discover white-white (bright-white) until I started using TG. Please let us know what fixes your problem. Good Luck! Oh, yeah, and you know they say you should mix your RI for at least 10 minutes. Worth a try!

Thanks for your responses. I used nfsc recipe. I beat the royal for about 8 minutes. The color I used is americolor black. Maybe it has crystalized. I didn't try the whitening before I added color. Maybe I'll make up some Toba's icing for the flooding (I haven't iced all the cookies yet, just this one) adding the whitening then the black. I really do think it is grease from the cookie. Maybe I could put another layer on and see if it comes through again?

Do you wipe all your RI mixing equipment down with a vinegar solution prior to mixing? After a couple of major disasters, I now do this EVERY time, no matter how thorougly I have washed everything. I have never had a grease issue since.

I do feel for you. It's frustrating to do all that work and have a poor result.

Peeverly, I've had a problem with what looks like grease coming through my RI. The difference was that mine starts drying ok, then a spot will appear, but it is a solid spot that is bigger than the little splotches on your
picture, then it starts to get bigger. I asked the same question on this site, and all we could think of was that the cookie wasn't baked enough and the butter must somehow be leaching through. Then I started baking my cookies until they are more brown on the edges, but I still had one
do that. So, like you, I'm puzzled and would sure like to figure this thing out. I wash my paddle and bowl in hot water and Dawn - twice. Then I dry them with a clean dish towel. I just can't imagine that mine is from residual oil in the bowl. Plus, I have two Kitchenaids - I use the smaller one for my RI and the bigger one for cookies. Lately I've been thinking that it may be that when I add colors and water to the RI, I'm not mixing it well enough. It's so frustrating! Maybe we'll figure this one out some day. Good luck!

I think it's the evil cookie fairy He paid me a visit today too

Update. I left the "EVIL" cookie on the counter overnight. Lo and behond the spots are gone. Now in there place is a slight discoloration. Not enough to ditch the cookie though. I think I may go ahead and ice the rest with this batch of royal. Now I have another problem though, my dh just told me that the cookie does NOT look like a converse sneaker so I might have to do them over anyway!

BTW - I was thinking about using a higher quality butter for this next batch and using the same flooding royal. I was using a store brand butter and maybe there is something in there that isn't mixing well?? So I'll use Land 'O Lakes next time and let you all know if this makes a difference.


THANKS SO MUCH!!!

Ok. Not to beat a dead horse (or the royal icing) to death but.... I think Christinapp may be on to something. Because the "oil" disappeared maybe it was just the coloring that hadn't quite been mixed in well enough (although I thought I mixed it very well). Ok, I'll stop about this for now. We all have lots to do other than worry about Peeverly's oil or not mixed enough royal icing. Have a great day and wish me luck with the Converse cookies!!

Good Luck!