I've been making decorated sugar cookies for over a year and usually they turn out well. However on a couple of occasions (including this morning), I've had the unhappy surprise of seeing faint grease spots in my royal icing once the cookies have dried. (Photo of today's cookies attached.)

From what I've read so far, apparently this can happen because the cookies were iced the same day they were baked (which was the case yesterday), and another blog I read said it can happen if you refrigerate the cut cookies before baking (which I always do, to prevent spreading).

So I'd love any insight from you experienced cookie bakers if those things are indeed causes or if you have any other ideas/suggestions to prevent it from happening again.

Thanks so much!

Emilie

Hi! To avoid this, I've recently started waiting a day after baking to decorate. I put the cool cookies in a container with a lid with parchment between the layers. It seems to keep the cookies soft but soaks up some of the oil before decorating. Good luck!

The best way I've found to avoid this is to wait until the day after you bake the cookies to start decorating. You can also dab with a paper towel before applying the icing. Hope this helps!