I'm just wondering, from the professionals out there, once a cookie is iced in RI how long does it last in the open air before going stale? And also how long will it last, iced, in an air tight container and if they are in a container should they be refrigerated or is it best to keep them out in room temp covered?

Thanks for putting up with my questions!

Lots of factors can affect that answer. What is the normal temp range in your area? Humidity factor? How baked are the cookies (i.e. do you bake yours until they're crisp compared to how I bake mine until they are just a little more than 'set').

Easy testing to find out how yours hold up.

bake a batch of cookies. Put 5 in separate bags. Leave these 5 lay out on the counter along with one to three that aren't bagged. Each day, taste one and find out how they hold up.

You may be surprised at just how long they hold up.

I, personally, never put cakes or cookies in the 'frig. Tends to dry them out. (Never saw a bag of Oreos in anyone's frig!)

I don't store them in the refrigerator either - I store them as sealed as possible at room temperature.

Personally, I have a 5-day rule. I like to deliver by day 5 from the time I make the dough. Although I know from past discussions that they stay good for longer than that.

Here are some threads where this same topic has been discusses - maybe the answers there will help you. Oh - I'll also add some threads about freezing cookies, because that can be done successfully both before and after icing with royal.

freshness
http://www.cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-660400-fresh.html


freezing cookies
http://www.cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-633905.html

freezing & using RI
http://www.cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-632656.html

Thanks a bunch you two!! This helps me out a lot! I will be making my first batch of NFSC next week, never made them before as I always made my own recipe, and usually I like to take them out of the oven when I can see a light brown on the bottom of the cookie. I will do as you say Indeb and test them. It's usually really dry in the winter here, Atlantic Canada, and extremely humid in the summer... but we use the air conditioner all the time the helps cut out most of the humidity.

Thanks bonnie for all those links! I'll be making myself some tea after supper and browsing through them later.

Thanks for all the help! I am extremely excited to experiment and try my first batch of NFSC and Anonia's RI... here's to hoping they'll turn out okay hehe!