I have been addicted to this site for months and am paralyzed by all the beautiful work shown by all of you creative people. I have decided to jump in and try some of the things that I have been reading about. Pardon my ignorance, but when decorating cookies with royal icing and using MORE than one color, how do you do that? Do you do the major color first and wait until that dries before you put a color that butts up against it or do you do the whole cookie in the base color and then put the different colors on top of the base color? I have figured out that you used tips for the detail work but just don't understand for the large areas and do you have to let everything dry and if so for how long? Do you have to keep the cookies covered or should they be left to air dry and do the cookies get really hard? 
I have read Antonia74 tutorial and don't recall seeing anything in there. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Also, the cookies that I have seen using mmf that have the exact shape, how do you do that? Do you use the same cookie cutter as the cookie and the cookie expands when it bakes so when you use the mmf cut with the cookie cutter it is a perfect fit?
Thanks in advance for all of your answers.
I hope I can help you a bit! I don't use MMF on cookies but I'm sure someone will answer. As for the royal, I flood the cookie in the base color usually. I lay them in single layer in a large rubbermaid container and cover them. In a couple of hours, I can do the detail work with the smaller tips. Even if you are doing colors that bump against each other, a couple hours is long enough IMO.
I never let them air dry uncovered. But I believe some people do ??
Have a great time - you will love it, and post your pictures
I am wondering the same thing about the mmf exept with RBC. I am going to make my NFSC dough tonight and make the cookies tom. night.
Since I've made this mistake before 
.........if your main color is white I would let the cookies dry for 12 hours, preferrably covered or in a cool place. In the past when I've had white as the main color then decorated with others colors, 4 - 5 hours later the colors would bleed within an hour. I seem to only have this problem with white or black so I always let those two colors dry thoroughly before introducing additional colors. Could be the way I'm mixing my RI but I've ruined cookies so I'm extra cautious now.
I've never used the MMF but it looks fantastic. This is the site to find out how to use it 
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Good luck and post how they turn out! 
I do my cookies in one day, I start with one color and do all my outlining and then thin it for flooding and then move on to the next. I've never had more than one or two cookies bleed even when I'm using white and black next to each other and it's never been something that you notice unless you're really looking for it.
I'm certainly no expert, but for me it depends on the look that I want when using more than one color of Royal Icing.
For example, if I want it to look more 3-dimensional, I do a base color and then the second color over it when it has dried several hours. If I want the two colors (or more) to look more like they are the same "height" I let them dry for only a few minutes, until slightly set so that the colors don't combine, and then do the second color.
As for the fondant on cookies, I havne't done that, but I think that I remember reading that people use the same exact cutter for the fondant that they used for the cookie dough, and that's how it is the exact shape.
iam very new to cookies decorating myslef and I have so far only used royal icing i always do the outlines first and then paint in the details and leave out to drive I have never found that it takes more than a couple hours to dry though. I will say that after a day the thicker icing that is used for the border becomes very hard and I dont really care for the taste of royal ethier I have been looking for other reciepes that give the same effect as royal with out the harding or the taste.
Thanks for all of your great advice and shared experiences.
In terms of decorating with MMF or fondant, i usually use the same cookie cutter for the fondant as for the cookies. The cookies expand slightly during baking, leaving a little bit of a border around the fondant when you place it on. You also want to put the fondant on when the cookies just come out of the oven... that way the fondant kind of melts onto the cookie to be attached firmly.
HTH.
Cheers,
Jill
Yes, when using MMF use the same cookie cutter. I also put my MMF on the cookie as soon as it comes out of the oven. And I usually cut out the MMF shapes while the cookies are baking and then pop them in the fridge until the cookies are done. I find that the MMF will harden up a bit and make it much easier to handle while you're trying to place it on the warm cookie.
I like the MMF on the thinner side - just because I want to taste the cookie more than the fondant. I use that little Wilton fondant roller with the purple guides to roll out the fondant (I'm not sure what the thickness is on those). Then I take the guides off and do a couple more passes to thin it out a bit more.
Thanks SOOOO much!! I can hardly wait to try it.
HIPrincess check out antonia74's link for step by step instructions on baking SC and decorating with royal icing. She's the cookie expert and has some fantastic steps and tips that you'll find helpful. I've never attached a link so hopefully this will work.
http://www.cakecentral.com/article54-How-To-Bake--Decorate-Cookies.html[/url][/url]
I do both royal and fondant covered cookies. (I'm actually in the process of writing a cookie book). When using fondant, cut it with the same cutter you used on to make the cookie. I don't put fondant on the cookie when the cookies are warm. I wait until the cookie is cool then spray it with a fine mist of water and lay the fondant on top. I then roll the fondant to the edges. For my royal, I do it all in the same day. I paint my cookies, rather than flood them. Once the base layer of royal is dry (takes 1-3 hours) you can put any other colors you want on it. Hope you get a chance to view my album. I have lots of cookies in it. Good luck. Look forward to seeing your cookies.
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